Cavaliers Game 5 Takeaways: Cavs Beat Pistons for First Road Win in Overtime Thriller

The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Detroit Pistons in overtime of Game 5 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals to take a 3-2 lead in the series.

The Pistons, who were No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, are on the ropes after the Cavaliers were victorious in the biggest game of the Donovan Mitchell era.

And the team survived a rocky performance from Mitchell, who couldn’t get anything going. It was an ugly, sloppy victory that this team needed. Here are the main takeaways from the victory.

Cavs survive Mitchell clunker

In the final moments of regulation, Mitchell hopelessly dribbled into the paint and turned the ball over in traffic as the buzzer sounded. He was much better in overtime, but the rest of the Cavaliers needed to pick up the slack to secure the 117-113 victory.

Mitchell finished the game with 21 points but was 7-of-18 and 1-of-8 from three-point territory as his shooting struggles continued. He had two turnovers and finished the game -4.

But James Harden answered the bell. Even though he turned the ball over six times, Harden scored 30 points and also had eight rebounds and six assists. Harden showcased the reason why the Cavaliers traded for him at the deadline, putting the team on his back in a night where Mitchell struggled offensively.

From a team perspective, the Cavaliers were able to overcome mistakes and found a way to win the game, even though Mitchell wasn’t at his best.

Cavs bigs bully Jalen Duren

The physicality of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley shouldn’t be questioned after Game 5.

Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff benched Jalen Duren during the entire fourth quarter and overtime, opting to go with Paul Reed. Duren has struggled throughout this series against Mobley and Allen, and the Cavaliers capitalized in a major way on Wednesday night.

Mobley scored 19 points and had eight rebounds with eight assists. He has been active defensively throughout this entire series. Allen had 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Max Strus does all the little things right

Game 5 was another example of Strus being one of the most valuable members of the Cavaliers.

He contributed 36 big minutes off Cleveland’s bench, scoring 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Strus had eight rebounds, an assists and one steal and played pesky defense all night.

Remember, Strus has a lot of experience in the NBA Playoffs. Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson needs to continue to trust him in big moments.

Cavs prove to themselves they can win on the road

Cade Cunningham scored 39 points and certainly showed up in bigger moments than Mitchell.

It didn’t matter, though. The Cavaliers proved that they can come together and win as a team, on the road, in a difficult environment. They can close out the series on Friday night at Rocket Arena, which would secure them a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks.

Cavs fans should be encouraged that the team got a huge win on the road on a night where they didn’t even play their best game.

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