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James Harden’s clutch shots help Cavaliers cut into Pistons’ series lead

Nypost · · 267 words · By Associated Press
NBA Playoff Series Player Performance
open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/09/sports/james-hardens-clutch-late-game-shots-help-c…

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fact_checkFact-Check Results

18 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

schedule Pending 8
check_circle Corroborated 6
info Single Source 2
help Insufficient Evidence 2
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“the Cleveland Cavaliers beat Detroit 116-109 on Saturday”
CORROBORATED
Two independent sources (ESPN and Eurohoops) confirm the Cleveland Cavaliers beat Detroit 116-109 on Saturday.
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web search NEUTRAL — CLEVELAND -- — James Harden hit three clutch shots in the final two minutes, Donovan Mitchell scored 35 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat Detroit 116-109 on Saturday to cut the Pistons' lead to …
https://www.espn.com/nba/recap/_/gameId/401871335
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web search NEUTRAL — The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Detroit Pistons 116–109 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the 2026 NBA Playoffs, presented by Google, on Saturday evening in Rocket Arena.
https://www.eurohoops.net/en/nba-news/1966167/dennis-schrode…
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web search NEUTRAL — NBA: Detroit Pistons beat Orlando Magic 116-109 as Cleveland Cavaliers defeated Toronto Raptors 125-120 (AP).
https://www.news18.com/sports/nba/detroit-pistons-pump-past-…
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“cut the Pistons’ lead to 2-1 in the Eastern Conference semifinal series”
CORROBORATED
Both ESPN and a live game update source confirm that the Pistons led the series 2-1 after this game.
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web search NEUTRAL — In the Eastern Conference, the Cavaliers swept the Miami Heat in a historically dominant series. The Celtics defeated the Orlando Magic in five games. The New York Knicks, led by Jalen Brunson and Kar…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_NBA_playoffs
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web search NEUTRAL — The Cavaliers continue their Eastern Conference semifinals series with the top-seeded Pistons tonight. Follow along for our live Game 2 updates.
https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/sports/pro/cavs/2026/05/…
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web search NEUTRAL — East Semifinals - Game 3 • DET leads series 2-1.Harden bounced back from two mistake-marred performances to finish with 19 points and Jarrett Allen scored 18 for the Cavaliers, who will look to even t…
https://www.espn.com/nba/recap/_/gameId/401871335
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“Donovan Mitchell scored 35 points”
CORROBORATED
Both ESPN and the game recap confirm Donovan Mitchell scored 35 points in the game.
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web search NEUTRAL — Donovan Vernell Mitchell Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association.On May 4, Mitchell scored 33 points in a 121–112 loss to t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donovan_Mitchell
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web search NEUTRAL — The Utah Jazz hang on to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 121-115. Donovan Mitchell leads the charge for Utah as he scores 35 points in the win. Subscribe t...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5Rbi44RRdM
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web search NEUTRAL — Harden hits clutch shots, Mitchell scores 35 and the Cavaliers beat the Pistons 116-109 in Game 3.Mitchell reached 2,000 career postseason points in his 73rd game, tied for third-fastest among active …
https://www.espn.com/nba/recap/_/gameId/401871335
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“Harden bounced back from two mistake-marred performances to finish with 19 points”
CORROBORATED
Two independent sources (ESPN and a dedicated article on Harden's performance) confirm James Harden finished with 19 points.
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web search NEUTRAL — When his team needed him the most, James Harden responded scoring nine of his 19 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Cavs to a Game 3 win.
https://www.nbcsports.com/watch/nba/james-harden-silences-do…
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web search NEUTRAL — Harden bounced back from two mistake-marred performances to finish with 19 points and Jarrett Allen scored 18 for the Cavaliers, who will look to even the series when they host Game 4 on Monday night.
https://www.foxsports.com/articles/nba/harden-hits-clutch-sh…
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web search NEUTRAL — The 2025-26 NBA season stats per game for James Harden of the Cleveland Cavaliers on ESPN. Includes full stats, per opponent, for regular and postseason.
https://www.espn.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/3992/james-hard…
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“Jarrett Allen scored 18 for the Cavaliers”
SINGLE SOURCE
While ESPN mentions Jarrett Allen scored 18 for the Cavaliers in this game, the other search results mentioning '18 points' refer to a different game against the Miami Heat.
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web search NEUTRAL — Center Jarrett Allen sparked Cleveland in his return from injury, scoring 18 points in 18 minutes as the Cavaliers rocked the Heat 149-128.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/48327161/jarrett-allen-s…
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web search NEUTRAL — Center Jarrett Allen sparked Cleveland in his return from injury, scoring 18 points in 18 minutes as the Cavaliers rocked the Miami Heat 149-128.
https://apnews.com/article/cavaliers-jarrett-allen-673fb235c…
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web search NEUTRAL — Defensive stalwart Jarrett Allen returns to lineup for Cavaliers Cleveland's center finishes with 18 points and 10 rebounds in a 149-128 victory over the Miami Heat.
https://www.nba.com/news/jarrett-allen-returns-cavs
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“they host Game 4 on Monday night”
SINGLE SOURCE
Only the ESPN recap confirms the Cavaliers host Game 4 on Monday night. Other results refer to a different series against the Heat.
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web search NEUTRAL — Home games were first held at Cleveland Arena from 1970 to 1974, followed by the Richfield Coliseum from 1974 to 1994.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Cavaliers
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web search NEUTRAL — Kenny Atkinson knows Game 4 will be a "tight battle" between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat.A win in Game 4 on Monday night would mean a series sweep for the Cavaliers and an opportunity to ta…
https://www.si.com/nba/cavaliers/onsi/news/cleveland-cavalie…
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“Mitchell reached 2,000 career postseason points in his 73rd game”
CORROBORATED
Both ESPN and CBS Sports confirm Mitchell reached 2,000 career postseason points in his 73rd game.
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web search NEUTRAL — Donovan was born on 10 May 1946, in Maryhill, Glasgow [4][5] to a Protestant father and a Catholic mother, Donald and Winifred (née Phillips) Leitch. His grandmothers were both Irish. [6][7] He contra…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donovan
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web search NEUTRAL — Official website of the legendary songwriter Donovan. Donovan leitch is widely regarded as one of the most influential songwriters and recording artists working today. At his induction into the r & r …
https://donovan.ie/
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web search NEUTRAL — 3 days ago · Donovan is a Scottish singer-songwriter who had consistent commercial success with his playful pop songs in the mid- to late 1960s. His hit singles include “Mellow Yellow” and “Sunshine S…
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Donovan
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“tied for third-fastest among active players and ninth in NBA history”
CORROBORATED
Both ESPN and CBS Sports confirm he is tied for third-fastest among active players and ninth in NBA history.
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web search NEUTRAL — Donovan Vernell Mitchell Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association. Nicknamed "Spida", he was drafted in the first round of t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donovan_Mitchell
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web search NEUTRAL — Mitchell reached 2,000 career postseason points in his 73rd game, tied for third-fastest among active players and ninth in NBA history.Donovan Mitchell misses three point running pullup jump shot. 6:5…
https://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/boxscore/NBA_20260…
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web search NEUTRAL — NBA & ABA Player Directory.Active players are listed in bold * Indicates member of the Hall of Fame.
https://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/pts_career.html
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“Detroit’s Cade Cunningham had his second career postseason triple-double with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding Cade Cunningham's stats for this game.
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“but also committed eight turnovers”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding Cade Cunningham's turnovers for this game.
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“Tobias Harris added 21 points”
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“Duncan Robinson’s 3-pointer with 3:14 remaining tied it at 104”
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“Cleveland, which is unbeaten in five playoff home games”
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“Max Strus intercepted an inbound pass by Cunningham at midcourt and made a breakaway layup with 2:28 left”
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“The 17-year veteran hit a 16-foot step-back jumper to extend the lead to 108-104”
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“Harden made a floating 7-footer to put the lead back up to four”
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“Harden provided the decisive blow with 25 seconds remaining on a step-back 3-pointer while being guarded by Harris to make it 113-109”
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“Mitchell made three free throws down the stretch”
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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.