How the Detroit Pistons Outlasted the Cleveland Cavaliers in Friday Victory

The Detroit Pistons claimed victory in a distance run against a division rival with a 122-119 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday. Center Jalen Duren took the spotlight for Detroit in the Motor City matchup with 33 points and a game-high 16 rebounds.

Cavs big Evan Mobley countered for Cleveland with 23 points and 12 rebounds while swatting away four shots.

Feb 27, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) tries to drive past Cleveland Cavaliers guard Dennis Schroder (8) in the first half at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Pistons Battle With Shorthanded Cavs

A quick start for Detroit was fueled by its All-Star guard, who drew first blood with a short-range hook shot before finding Tobias Harris for a 3-point strike.

A battle of the bigs would ensue as Duren and Cleveland's frontcourt would trade blows and keep their respective squads on their feet with much-needed rebounds. Duren and Mobley would finish the game with their own sets of double-doubles and a combined 66.7% clip from the floor. Cavs center Jarrett Allen added 25 points and nine rebounds.

The Cavs' depth, which nearly came to the rescue in a Wednesday loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, still had its moments as two newer backcourt starters in Dennis Schröder and Sam Merrill made their own distinct impact on the floor.

The duo added 32 points in what would be Schröder's second start as a Cavalier. The Pistons would still outpace the Cavs with 27 bench points to Cleveland's 24. Schröder and guard Craig Porter Jr. would stack on 21 assists as they worked to be engines of a Cavaliers offense that alternated between not missing a beat and nearly missing every one against a potent Pistons defense.

Ron Holland led the Pistons off the bench with 12 points while tacking on three boards, including two on offense.

The Pistons have defended their house 23 times and fallen in it seven times this season following the Friday-night win. They'll have one more chance to take the regular-season series for good against a Midwestern rival who can prove to be one of their toughest opponents in the East before the end of the season. Detroit finished its regular-season runs against two East Coast heavyweights in the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks at 3-1 and 3-0, respectively.

The Pistons will start off a 3-game road trip with a bout against the Orlando Magic, who sit at seventh place in the Eastern Conference following an up-and-down February run that left them with a record of 31-27. They last faced the Houston Rockets on Thursday, where a second-half collapse all but erased a potential victory over one of the West's top squads.

Detroit has taken on Orlando twice at home this season, where they split their matchups between a blowout win in October and a close loss one month later. The Pistons will face the Magic one more time as they wind down the regular season with a string of Eastern bouts in April.

The Pistons will tip off against the Magic at 6:00 p.m. EST on Sunday in the Kia Center. The game will be broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network - Detroit.