The Detroit Pistons missed a chance to take full control of their Eastern Conference semifinal series Saturday night, falling 116-109 to the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3 despite another strong performance from Cade Cunningham.

Detroit entered the night with a 2-0 series lead and carried momentum early, feeding off an energized home crowd. The Pistons led 31-27 after the first quarter as Cunningham pushed the pace and Tobias Harris provided an early scoring spark. Cunningham finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his second playoff triple-double, while Harris added 21 points.

Cleveland responded in the second quarter behind Donovan Mitchell, who repeatedly attacked the paint and got to the free-throw line. The Cavaliers outscored Detroit 32-18 in the period to take a 59-49 halftime lead. Jarrett Allen also gave the Pistons problems inside, helping Cleveland dominate around the rim early in the game.

The Pistons clawed their way back in the third quarter with a much more aggressive defensive approach. Detroit forced turnovers and got key minutes from its bench, trimming the deficit to 86-82 entering the fourth. A lengthy Pistons run eventually tied the game at 104 late in the final quarter, giving Detroit a chance to steal another comeback victory.

But Cleveland’s veteran experience proved decisive in the closing minutes.

James Harden, criticized after struggling in the first two games of the series, delivered several clutch baskets in the final two minutes and scored seven late points to help put the game away. Harden finished with 19 points, while Mitchell led all scorers with 35 points and 10 rebounds.

Detroit hurt itself with several costly turnovers down the stretch, including multiple miscues by Cunningham in the final minutes. The loss cut the Pistons’ series lead to 2-1 heading into a pivotal Game 4 on Monday night.

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