James Harden delivered a standout performance in Game 3, leading the Cavaliers to a 116-109 victory over the Pistons. His clutch play has raised hopes for the Cavs' playoff aspirations.
Key points
James Harden excelled in Game 3 for the Cavaliers
Cavaliers defeated the Pistons 116-109
Game 3 took place in the Eastern Conference semifinals
Koby Altman and Kenny Atkinson are key figures in Cavaliers management
Cavaliers have high expectations for the NBA Finals
If only the Cavs could preserve the Game 3 version of Harden with âStar Warsâ technology, they would stand a much better chance of meeting the NBA Finals-or-bust expectations heaped upon them.
May 9, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Dennis Schroder (8) warms up before game three between the Cavaliers and the Detroit Pistons in the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Q&A
What was James Harden's performance in Game 3 against the Pistons?
James Harden had a crucial role in the Cavaliers' 116-109 win over the Pistons, showcasing his ability to perform under pressure.
How did the Cavaliers fare in the Eastern Conference semifinals Game 3?
The Cavaliers won Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Detroit Pistons with a score of 116-109.
What are the Cavaliers' expectations for the NBA Finals?
The Cavaliers have NBA Finals-or-bust expectations, aiming for a deep playoff run following their recent performance.
Who are the key figures in the Cavaliers' management?
Koby Altman serves as the president of basketball operations, while Kenny Atkinson is the head coach of the Cavaliers.
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May 9, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; A detail of the lower bowl covered in t-shirts before game three between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Detroit Pistons in the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
May 9, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade (32) warms up before game three between the Cavaliers and the Detroit Pistons in the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
May 9, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; A detail of the lower bowl covered in t-shirts before game three between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Detroit Pistons in the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson speaks at pregame press conference at Game 3 of second round of NBA playoffs at Rocket Arena in Cleveland on Saturday, May 9, 2026.
Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff speaks at pregame press conference at Game 3 of second round of NBA playoffs at Rocket Arena in Cleveland on Saturday, May 9, 2026.
Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson speaks at pregame press conference at Game 3 of second round of NBA playoffs at Rocket Arena in Cleveland on Saturday, May 9, 2026.
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2), right, warms up next to center Jalen Duren (0) before Game 3 of second round of NBA playoffs between Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena in Cleveland on Saturday, May 9, 2026.
Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0), warms up before Game 3 of second round of NBA playoffs between Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena in Cleveland on Saturday, May 9, 2026.
Each chair at Rocket Arena in Cleveland is covered with a white Beat Detroit t-shirt before Game 3 of second round of NBA playoffs on Saturday, May 9, 2026.
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2), right, warms up before Game 3 of second round of NBA playoffs between Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena in Cleveland on Saturday, May 9, 2026.
Game 3 of second round of NBA playoffs between Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena in Cleveland on Saturday, May 9, 2026.
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2), right, warms up before Game 3 of second round of NBA playoffs between Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena in Cleveland on Saturday, May 9, 2026.
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Cavaliers vs. Pistons, Game 3 photos
May 9, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Dennis Schroder (8) warms up before game three between the Cavaliers and the Detroit Pistons in the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
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Cavaliers vs. Pistons, Game 3 photos
May 9, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Dennis Schroder (8) warms up before game three between the Cavaliers and the Detroit Pistons in the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
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Cavaliers vs. Pistons, Game 3 photos
May 9, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; A detail of the lower bowl covered in t-shirts before game three between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Detroit Pistons in the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
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Cavaliers vs. Pistons, Game 3 photos
May 9, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade (32) warms up before game three between the Cavaliers and the Detroit Pistons in the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
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Cavaliers vs. Pistons, Game 3 photos
May 9, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; A detail of the lower bowl covered in t-shirts before game three between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Detroit Pistons in the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
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Cavaliers vs. Pistons, Game 3 photos
Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson speaks at pregame press conference at Game 3 of second round of NBA playoffs at Rocket Arena in Cleveland on Saturday, May 9, 2026.
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Cavaliers vs. Pistons, Game 3 photos
Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff speaks at pregame press conference at Game 3 of second round of NBA playoffs at Rocket Arena in Cleveland on Saturday, May 9, 2026.
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Cavaliers vs. Pistons, Game 3 photos
Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson speaks at pregame press conference at Game 3 of second round of NBA playoffs at Rocket Arena in Cleveland on Saturday, May 9, 2026.
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Cavaliers vs. Pistons, Game 3 photos
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2), right, warms up next to center Jalen Duren (0) before Game 3 of second round of NBA playoffs between Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena in Cleveland on Saturday, May 9, 2026.
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Cavaliers vs. Pistons, Game 3 photos
Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0), warms up before Game 3 of second round of NBA playoffs between Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena in Cleveland on Saturday, May 9, 2026.
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Cavaliers vs. Pistons, Game 3 photos
Each chair at Rocket Arena in Cleveland is covered with a white Beat Detroit t-shirt before Game 3 of second round of NBA playoffs on Saturday, May 9, 2026.
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Cavaliers vs. Pistons, Game 3 photos
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2), right, warms up before Game 3 of second round of NBA playoffs between Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena in Cleveland on Saturday, May 9, 2026.
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Cavaliers vs. Pistons, Game 3 photos
Game 3 of second round of NBA playoffs between Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena in Cleveland on Saturday, May 9, 2026.
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Cavaliers vs. Pistons, Game 3 photos
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2), right, warms up before Game 3 of second round of NBA playoffs between Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena in Cleveland on Saturday, May 9, 2026.
The Game 3 iteration of Harden is what the Cavs envisioned in February when they traded Darius Garland for Harden, an 11-time All-Star and future Hall of Famer, albeit one 10 years older than fellow point guard Garland.
The Harden the Cavs got in Game 3 is what they need to overcome a 2-1 deficit in their best-of-seven second-round playoff series against the Pistons. Game 4 is set for 8 p.m. Monday, May 11, in Cleveland. Donât worry. Thereâs plenty of time for Harden to thaw by then.
The 36-year-old Harden inspired this brilliant theme along with the Guardians, who hosted âStar Warsâ night on May 9 next to the site of Game 3. With a bag of ice fastened to Hardenâs left shooting hand during a postgame news conference, he played coy when asked about dealing with an injury.
âDealing with what?â Harden said.
The ice, sir. We can all see it. The ice is on your hand.
âIâm just a little older, so Iâve got to make sure I can stay younger,â Harden said.
Voila!
Cavaliers guard James Harden drives to the basket against Detroit Pistons forward Tobias Harris during the second half of Game 3 in the second round of the playoffs, May 9, 2026, in Cleveland.
Cavaliers guard James Harden drives to the basket against Detroit Pistons forward Tobias Harris during the second half of Game 3 in the second round of the playoffs, May 9, 2026, in Cleveland.
Game 3 Harden is the perfect age. He certainly appeared to be sprier than when he fumbled the ball in Game 2 and had it stolen by Pistons small forward Ausar Thompson with 33.3 seconds left, sealing Detroitâs victory.
After the Pistons rallied from a 16-point halftime deficit in Game 3, regained the lead in the third quarter and seized it for the final time with 4:57 left in the fourth quarter, Harden shut the door during the first game of the series held in Cleveland.
Small forward Max Strusâ fast-break layup off his steal of an inbounds pass by point guard Cade Cunningham gave the Cavs a 106-104 edge with 2:28 left.
Then Harden provided three daggers.
With 1:29 left, he drained a 16-foot step-back jump shot over Pistons forward Tobias Harris for a 108-104 lead
With 59 seconds left, he made a floater over Pistons center Jalen Duren for a 110-106 lead
With 25.9 seconds left, he made an isolation 3-pointer over Harris for a 113-109 lead
âIt's the James Harden I've seen for how many years he's been in the NBA,â Atkinson said, losing track of Hardenâs 17 NBA seasons because there are so many of them to count. âThat's the James we know. We needed it.â
Detroit Pistons forward Duncan Robinson shoots over the defense of Cavaliers guard James Harden during the second half of Game 3 in the second round of the playoffs, May 9, 2026, in Cleveland.
Detroit Pistons forward Duncan Robinson shoots over the defense of Cavaliers guard James Harden during the second half of Game 3 in the second round of the playoffs, May 9, 2026, in Cleveland.
Three successful foul shots down the stretch by guard Donovan Mitchell accounted for the rest of Clevelandâs scoring.
Mitchell finished with a game-high 35 points on 13-of-24 shooting from the field (2-of-8 on 3s), 10 rebounds and four assists in 38 minutes. Harden had 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the floor (3-of-7 on 3s), seven assists, two rebounds and a steal in 40 minutes. Both players committed just three turnovers â a significant improvement as the Cavs won the turnover battle 16-15. They each scored nine points in the fourth quarter.
Harden went 4-of-5 shooting from the field (1-of-1 from beyond the 3-point arc) in the final quarter.
âI love it,â Harden said. âWhen my numberâs called, [I'm focused on] just getting to my spots, and it's something that I work on literally every day. So, it's basically repetition, and it's the confidence to go out there and just do it. Don had been working so extremely hard throughout the course of the game. Just trying to find opportunities to help him. So that last minute and a half, two minutes, however long it was, it presented itself.â
Despite Hardenâs struggles in Detroit (he had 10 points on 3-of-13 shooting from the field in Game 2 and 22 points but also seven turnovers in Game 1), Atkinson, Mitchell and Co. trust him. The truth is they really have no other choice. The Cavs signed up for the Harden experience â good, bad or ugly. Game 3 Harden was good.
Mitchell said he didnât have a problem deferring to Harden in crunch time because âitâs James Harden.â Mitchell added, âHe works really hard at his game, and his resume speaks for itself.â
But for the last several years, Harden has failed to come through in high-stakes playoff moments. Critics of the Cavs' trade for Harden point to those shortcomings, even though Garlandâs persistent injury history played a huge role in the decision to execute the deal.
âChatter is going to be chatter regardless,â Harden said. âI mean, whether you do something good, whether you do something bad, for me, still, you give me opportunities in this fourth quarter, and I take advantage of them.â
Harden has talked the talk since he arrived in Cleveland. Game 3 Harden walked the walk, too.
âHeâs an all-timer,â said Cunningham, who led the Pistons with a triple-double (27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists). âIsolation scorer â itâs what heâs comfortable doing. I thought weâve done a good job on him, but, obviously, guys get in a rhythm. ⊠He did a great job finishing the game.â
The Cavs need to protect Game 3 Harden at all costs and discover a way to reactivate him.
Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.
