DETROIT -- After needing to rally from a 3-1 series deficit to advance out of the first round, the Detroit Pistons began Round 2 on Tuesday night with much more urgency, defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers, 111-101.
The Pistons jumped out to a 37-21 lead in the first quarter. The Cavs managed to tie the game at 93 with 5:28 remaining in the fourth quarter, but Detroit responded with seven straight points to seal the Game 1 victory.
Afterward, the Pistons said they learned a lesson from the first-round comeback against the Orlando Magic.
"Playing in three basically elimination games, you understand how important starts are, the urgency," coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "You understand how to close and how to finish. How to get to your spots. Then you grow belief that you can. That series did a lot of that for us."
Detroit snapped a 12-game postseason losing streak against Cleveland, a run that dated to the 2007 Eastern Conference finals. It now owns the lead in a playoff series for the first time since the 2008 East semifinals against the Magic.
All five Pistons starters finished in double figures Tuesday, led by Cade Cunningham, who scored 23 points with seven assists. Tobias Harris added 20 points, and Duncan Robinson hit five 3-pointers en route to 19 points.
"That's been our identity all year," Robinson said. "Just getting energy and those sort of plays from basically one through 11, 12, however many we play."
Both teams played a Game 7 on Sunday to set up this second-round matchup between Central Division rivals. Entering the series, the Cavs believed their first-round matchup against the Toronto Raptors would prepare them for the Pistons' defensive style, but their star backcourt continued to struggle in Game 1.
Donovan Mitchell scored 23 points on 9-of-19 shooting, ending his run of 30-plus points in an NBA-record nine straight series openers. James Harden scored 22 points but shot 6 of 15 from the floor with seven turnovers.
Overall, the Cavs committed 19 turnovers, which led to 29 Pistons points.
"You look within first," Harden said after the game. "Look at my turnovers, and a lot of them are just on me and nothing they did. It was way too many. If I had to put my print on one thing in the game, that's the game right there ... Like we talked about last series. If you get a shot on glass, even half of that, and it's a different ballgame. For me, I got to be better. I will be better, not turning the basketball over and getting shots up. It gives our defense a chance to get back and be set. Other than that, we played a pretty solid game."
Despite the turnovers, Cleveland had a chance late. But Detroit's Jalen Duren made a series of plays to help seal the game, blocking a Harden shot and then dunking on Detroit's next three possessions -- each off a Cunningham assist.
"Yeah, we've been through a lot," Cunningham said. "Seen a lot of scenarios in the game and stuff. So, just reading how they were guarding us and trying to get the best shot possible. That's all that was."
Added Duren: "Every possession matters. I think that's carrying over to now. And the intensity. Coming back from 3-1 back against the wall, we still feel like our backs are against the wall. We're still coming. We're still playing like that."
Game 2 is here Thursday night.