The Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers meet in Game 4 at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, with Detroit carrying a 2-1 series lead and the chance to move one win from the next round. The game will be shown on NBC and Peacock.
The matchup now turns on whether Detroit can keep its offense from stalling when the pressure rises. In Game 3, Cade Cunningham had three consecutive turnovers, and Cleveland used that opening to pull away in the fourth quarter of a tied game. That sequence turned a close night into a swing game, and it left the Pistons looking for cleaner possessions from their best player when the series shifts back into the biggest moments.
That problem has not been limited to the ballhandlers. Detroit’s big-man production has been a major issue in the series, and the numbers explain why. Jalen Duren, who shot 67.3% on 10.6 attempts within eight feet in the regular season, has averaged just over seven shots from that range per game in the playoffs and has fallen to 50% shooting. Isaiah Stewart, who was once a whispered Defensive Player of the Year candidate before a late-season suspension and injury, has been limited to just under 14 minutes per game in the playoffs.
When Stewart is on the floor, Detroit’s numbers split sharply. The Pistons’ defense has been 94.1 with him in the lineup, but the offense drops from 110.2 to 93.7. That is the kind of gap that can decide a playoff series, especially against a Cleveland team that has been unbeaten at home in these playoffs and has already shown it can seize control when a game gets loose.
Game 4 is where Detroit has to answer two questions at once: can Cunningham clean up the turnovers, and can the Pistons get enough from the frontcourt to keep pace inside Rocket Arena. If they cannot, Cleveland will not need many more opening to make the series look very different by the end of the night.
