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Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham and Cleveland Cavaliers star James Harden could shape how Game 7 plays out.
The Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers meet Sunday night with their seasons on the line in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.
The winner advances to the Eastern Conference Finals to face the New York Knicks, while the loser enters the offseason after a series that has swung hard in both directions. Game 7 tips off at 8 p.m. ET from Little Caesars Arena in Detroit and will stream on Prime Video.
LIVE UPDATES: Erik Anderson 7:08 p.m. est -- Cavs Reporter Suggests a New Starting Lineup is Coming Erik Anderson 7:05 p.m. EST -- J.B. Bickerstaff Speaking Pregame
Follow along here throughout the night for live Pistons-Cavaliers Game 7 updates, including score changes, major runs, injury developments, lineup notes and key moments from Detroit.
The Pistons have the edge entering Game 7, but not by much.
Detroit is listed as a 4.5-point favorite, according to the Game 7 line cited by Fear the Sword. That number reflects more than home court. The Pistons were the more physical team in Game 6, and their ability to pressure Cleveland’s guards, rebound through contact and get contributions beyond Cade Cunningham changed the tone of the series.
For Cleveland, the game likely comes down to Mitchell and Harden. The Cavaliers have enough shot creation and frontcourt size with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen to win on the road, but Game 6 exposed how thin the margin gets when Mitchell is inefficient and Cleveland’s offense gets dragged into turnovers or late-clock possessions.
Pistons-Cavaliers Game 7 is scheduled for Sunday, May 17, at 8 p.m. ET at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
The game will stream on Prime Video, according to multiple game previews.
Game info
The Pistons have three players listed as questionable entering Game 7: Caris LeVert with a heel issue, Kevin Huerter with an adductor injury and Duncan Robinson with a back injury.
The Cavaliers have Larry Nance Jr. on the injury report because of an illness. Fear the Sword listed Nance as doubtful, while iHeart’s injury report described him as day-to-day.
That matters more for Detroit’s spacing than Cleveland’s rotation. Robinson and Huerter both change the Pistons’ shooting profile if available, while LeVert gives Detroit another veteran ball-handler and secondary scorer. If one or more of them is limited, the Pistons may need heavier minutes from Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris and Daniss Jenkins around Cunningham.
For Cleveland, Nance’s status affects frontcourt depth, but the Cavaliers’ core Game 7 minutes should still run through Mitchell, Harden, Mobley and Allen.
The expected Cavaliers starting lineup is James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Dean Wade, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, according to Fear the Sword’s Game 7 preview.
The expected Pistons starting lineup is Cade Cunningham, Daniss Jenkins, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris and Jalen Duren.
Official lineups will be updated as soon as they are available.
Erik Anderson is an award-winning sports journalist covering the NBA, MLB and NFL for Heavy.com. He also focuses on the trading card market. His work has appeared in nationally-recognized outlets including The New York Times, Associated Press , USA Today, and ESPN. More about Erik Anderson
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