On February 25, Beijing time, the NBA field broke out of the big cold! The Cavaliers, who are No. 4 in the East, collapsed in the final quarter of the road and eventually lost 103-106 to the second-to-last Pistons in the East. In the final moments, the Cavaliers wasted multiple empty three-point opportunities and regretted losing the game, coach Bixtaff was very disappointed, and the Pistons home fans cheered.
The Cavaliers previously finished 4th in the East, while the Pistons were second-to-last in the East, with a big gap between the two teams. In the first quarter of the game, the Cavaliers did control the advantage of the game, and Markkanen played better, with the Cavaliers leading 33-27 in the first quarter. In the second quarter, the difference between the two sides once reached 10 points. However, the Pistons' young players did not want to give up, and they then approached the score under Bagley's leadership, trailing by only 3 points at halftime.
In the third quarter, the two sides played very stiffly, and the Cavaliers entered the Demon Realm with a 2-point lead. But in the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers fell into a scoring drought, playing a full half of the game, and the Cavaliers only scored four points. The Pistons, on the other hand, scored consecutive points, and after a 17-4 attack wave, the Cavaliers were already behind by more than double digits. Markkanen's difficult backs, plus a three-pointer, finally broke the scoring drought for the Cavaliers.
Goodwin then scored consecutive points, and the Cavaliers' defensive advantage was also reflected at this time, and the consecutive interior finished blocking. With O'Corro's three-point shot, the Cavaliers hit 9-0 to tie the score to 102! Malkanen made two free throws and one, and then Cunningham hit two free throws. Allen missed an offensive inside, then Mobley fouled and Cunningham hit two more free throws to give the Pistons a three-point lead. In the final moments, the Pistons missed three-pointers in consecutive empty slots, and finally lost the game 103-106.
In the whole game, although Cunningham only scored 17 points on 4-of-16 shooting, he made 4 free throws in key moments to help the Pistons seal the victory. In addition, Bagley and Grant each scored 16 points, and Diallo scored 21 points. The Cavaliers started all in doubles, but the power outage in the first half of the fourth quarter made the Cavaliers lose the initiative. In the last moment, they missed three consecutive points, which can also be said to be the time and death.