{"id":242046,"date":"2026-05-06T02:46:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T02:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/06\/sloppy-and-avoidable-nba-veteran-called-out-as-game-1-comeback-falls-short-wrap\/"},"modified":"2026-05-06T02:46:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T02:46:00","slug":"sloppy-and-avoidable-nba-veteran-called-out-as-game-1-comeback-falls-short-wrap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/06\/sloppy-and-avoidable-nba-veteran-called-out-as-game-1-comeback-falls-short-wrap\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Sloppy and avoidable\u2019: NBA veteran called out as Game 1 comeback falls short \u2014 Wrap"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Cleveland Cavaliers have dropped Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semi-final series, beaten 111\u2013101 by the Detroit Pistons as turnovers proved costly despite a late fightback. James Harden endured a night to forget, with the former MVP finishing with seven turnovers, a worrying trend as he continues to rack up errors through the playoffs.<\/p>\n

Watch NBA with ESPN on Kayo Sports | Stream the best of the NBA Playoffs. | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

The Cleveland Cavaliers couldn\u2019t quite complete the comeback in Game 1, falling 111-101 to the Detroit Pistons after a second-half surge came up short. Down by as many as 18 points, Cleveland fought its way back within striking distance in the fourth quarter, but turnovers, shaky execution and a lack of control on the glass proved costly.<\/p>\n

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Harden was benched during the third quarter after consecutive mistakes, with Cleveland responding with a quick 7-0 run. When he returned, Harden looked more aggressive, getting to the rim and the free throw line to steady things, but the early damage lingered. He closed with 22 points, seven assists and eight rebounds, though his turnovers overshadowed his playmaking.<\/p>\n

Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 23 points on 9-of-19 shooting, but the Cavaliers\u2019 back-court was outplayed by a more efficient Detroit group. Cade Cunningham finished with 23 points as one of six Pistons in double figures, with Tobias Harris adding 20 and Duncan Robinson knocking down five triples on his way to 19 points. Detroit\u2019s depth and ball movement stood out, especially as they steadied late to close the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a great team win \u2014 defending the ball, rebounding the ball,\u201d Cunningham said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got a great system in place. You\u2019ve got somebody that will come in behind you whenever you get tired.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it\u2019s one win, we\u2019ve got to come back and do it again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt home you\u2019ve got to protect home court. We didn\u2019t do that in the last series so we want do that this series.\u201d<\/p>\n

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DETROIT, MICHIGAN – MAY 05: Cade Cunningham #2 and Duncan Robinson #55 of the Detroit Pistons react during the fourth quarter of a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game One of the Second Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena on May 05, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus\/Getty Images)<\/span>Source: Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cleveland\u2019s problems extended beyond turnovers. Head coach Kenny Atkinson was forced into tough rotation calls, particularly with Jarrett Allen battling foul trouble. Allen picked up three fouls in the opening quarter and never regained rhythm, finishing with limited minutes as Jalen Duren made his presence felt late for Detroit. <\/p>\n

The Cavaliers showed resilience to claw back into the contest, but they will need a far cleaner performance heading into Game 2.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Cleveland Cavaliers have dropped Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semi-final series, beaten 111\u2013101 by the Detroit Pistons as turnovers proved costly despite a late fightback. James Harden endured a night to forget, with the former MVP finishing with seven turnovers, a worrying trend as he continues to rack up errors through the playoffs. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":242047,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6807],"tags":[156],"class_list":{"0":"post-242046","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-leagues-cups","8":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242046","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=242046"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242046\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/242047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=242046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=242046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=242046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}