Pistons force Game 7 with dominant win over Cavaliers
Donovan Mitchell’s sixth consecutive Game 6 loss underscores Cleveland’s offensive struggles as Ausar Thompson’s defence stifles the Cavaliers’ star.
The Detroit Pistons have eliminated the Cleveland Cavaliers from the NBA second-round series, securing a 115-94 victory in Game 6 on Friday. The result forces a decisive Game 7 in Detroit on Sunday, keeping the Pistons’ season alive and ending Cleveland’s campaign unless they can overturn the deficit on the road. The Cavaliers suffered their first home playoff loss of the postseason, a defeat largely attributed to the offensive stagnation of their leading scorer, Donovan Mitchell.
Mitchell recorded 18 points on 6-of-20 shooting, including 2-of-6 from three-point range, with three turnovers and four rebounds in 37 minutes. This performance marks his sixth consecutive Game 6 loss, a streak dating back to his tenure with the Utah Jazz during the 2020 bubble. The Cavaliers have now lost six Game 6s in a row, including four close-out games, highlighting a persistent pattern of failure in high-stakes elimination scenarios.
Pistons defender Ausar Thompson was instrumental in limiting Mitchell’s impact throughout the series. Tracking data indicates Thompson guarded Mitchell on 117 possessions in the first five games, holding him to 15 points on 4-of-19 shooting. In Game 6 specifically, Thompson’s physical defence forced Mitchell into difficult shots, with the Cavaliers star committing an offensive foul on the very first possession as he attempted to shed the defender.
Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson attributed the team’s offensive struggles to physical defence and officiating, describing the second half as a "logjam" in the half-court. "We gotta get him in space, in the open court," Atkinson said, noting that the game’s current calling conventions hindered Cleveland’s ability to create clean looks. The Cavaliers have struggled to finish at the rim and have been particularly ineffective from three-point range, shooting just 32.4% in the fourth quarter of the series.
Mitchell’s inconsistency has been a defining feature of Cleveland’s playoff run. While the team is 4-1 when he scores 30 or more points, they have dropped three of five games when he falls short of that threshold. Mitchell acknowledged the missed opportunities but emphasised the need to adjust rather than dwell on the loss. "Everything you want is on the other side of hard," he told reporters. The Cavaliers will look to reverse their fortunes in Game 7, aiming to reach the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2018.
