The Cleveland Cavaliers took a step toward the Eastern Conference Finals with a hard-fought 117-113 overtime victory over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday in the second round of the NBA playoffs.

The Cavaliers, who snatched their first away win of these playoffs, thus lead 3-2 before hosting Game 6 on Friday.

Both teams thought they had definitively taken the lead in a messy end to the match, which needed five more minutes to determine a winner.

Cade Cunningham was the Pistons' worthy leader with 39 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists, taking his team to a 15-point lead in the second quarter, then to 7 points with 3 minutes 57 left on the clock.

The Pistons then collapsed, losing the ball several times within 24 seconds of their possessions.

Evan Mobley (19 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists) scored 7 consecutive points to tie the game with 45 seconds left.

Both teams then missed their possessions, before the Cavaliers took the lead in overtime.

The experienced James Harden (36 years old), who arrived this winter from the Los Angeles Clippers, finished with 30 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, but also some mistakes that prevented the "Cavs" from wrapping up the game more quickly.

"We tried to relieve him a little on the ball advances," explained his coach Kenny Atkinson, who praised "a great leader with a lot of experience."

The famous point guard with the bushy beard played his 185th playoff game on Wednesday, his 50th with at least 30 points, but is still looking for his first title.

Donovan Mitchell, brilliant on Monday with 43 points, was very clumsy (21 points on 7 of 18, 1 of 8 from three), but finally made a shot behind the arc in overtime almost immediately followed by a decisive layup thanks to an interception by Max Strus.

The Pistons, who led 2-0 in the series before losing three straight games, are looking for their first conference finals appearance since 2008.

The Cavaliers haven't reached this level since 2018 and the last season of LeBron James' second stint.