CLEVELAND (AP) — Jarrett Allen is usually laid back before games, including interacting with the crowd during the last minute of pregame warmups.

That wasn't the case Sunday night as he played in his first Game 7.

Not only was the veteran center even more pumped up than usual, he had a game to remember.

Allen's 22 points and 19 rebounds in Cleveland's 114-102 victory over Toronto made him the second player in franchise history with at least 20 points and 15 rebounds in a Game 7.

LeBron James had 35 points and 15 boards in Game 7 of the 2018 Eastern Conference final against Boston to get Cleveland into the NBA Finals for the fourth straight year.

“I had a great time doing it. Honestly, that was my first Game 7 I’ve ever played in,” said Allen, who had his 11th double-double in a playoff game and tied a postseason high in scoring. “It was a unique experience driving here from my house. It’s like, ‘I’m going to a Game 7, everything’s on the line.’ It’s just a different feeling that I’ve never experienced before. The crowd’s into it, I’m into it.”

After Cleveland went on an 11-2 run to close the first half and tie it at 49, Allen took over in the third quarter. The ninth-year center became the first player in franchise history to have a double-double in a playoff quarter as his 14 points and 10 rebounds in the third put the Cavaliers on top 87-68 going into the final 12 minutes.

Allen also had five offensive boards, one steal and a blocked shot as he played the entire third quarter.

“I just wanted to show my teammates that we could win this game," he said. “Energy and effort: That’s what I believe win games. You do it on the defensive end, everything translates to offense.”

One of Allen’s baskets during the quarter was a fast-break dunk after Max Strus stole the ball from Barnes to make it 74-59.

“Man, he really took us over the top in the third quarter,” coach Kenny Atkinson said. “The offensive rebounding, inside scoring. He was flying around, enthusiastic, I was thinking, ‘What got into this guy?’ He was ready for the moment.”

While most of the attention remains on Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, the Cavaliers got big contributions from others throughout the series.

Strus had 24 in Game 1, Evan Mobley had 23 points in Game 2 and then 25 points in Game 5 while Dennis Schroder had 19 points in 21 minutes in Game 5. All of those were Cavaliers victories.

“When Allen wants to go for 19 rebounds, yeah, that’s tough. It was Schroder before and in the first couple games, it was Strus. When they have that one guy show up, it’s tough," said Toronto's RJ Barrett, who had 23 points.

Allen missed most of March due to right knee tendinitis, but averaged 28.5 minutes of playing time in this series along with 11.4 points and 8.3 rebounds.

The Cavaliers are hoping to get the same from Allen when their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Pistons begins Tuesday in Detroit.

“That’s what it's going to take in the playoffs," Mobley said. “There’s a lot of guys that stepped up throughout this whole series. Every game is somebody else, and we’re going to need that night in and night out as we keep going.”

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The Detroit Pistons can complete another historic comeback against the Orlando Magic. The Cleveland Cavaliers will settle for one more home victory over the Toronto Raptors.

The Pistons host the Magic in their Game 7 on Sunday in a late-afternoon contest, while the Cavaliers and Raptors wrap up the first round in primetime.

The winners move on to meet in an Eastern Conference semifinal series, which begins Tuesday in either Detroit, Cleveland or Toronto.

Detroit faced a 3-1 deficit to Orlando in its first-round series in 2003 before winning the final three games. The Pistons are the only top seed to do so against the No. 8 seed since the first round was expanded to a best-of-seven series the same year.

They are hoping to do it again.

After a 116-109 win in Game 5, the Pistons rallied from a 24-point second-half deficit to defeat the Magic 93-79 on Friday and send the series back to Detroit.

Orlando missed 23 straight shots from the field, including 13 from 3-point range, the most by any team in a playoff game during the play-by-play era that started in 1996-97. This was part of a 35-5 Pistons run.

“Having your back against the wall really shows who you are,” said Detroit point guard Cade Cunningham, who is averaging 32.5 points in the series. “There has been a lot of adversity so far in this series. I think we have learned a lot about who we are as a team and individually, and what we are made of. It has been a fun series. We want to get back to the crib and handle our business back home.”

The Magic still hope to become the seventh No. 8 seed to eliminate the conference’s top seed in the first round, but they need to bounce back quickly.

“The series ain’t over. I know they’ve clawed their way to tie it up 3-3. We won a game to start the series, and we’ve just got to go do it again,” forward Paolo Banchero said.

In a first round where the road team has won 17 games in seven other first-round series, the Cavaliers and Raptors have maintained serve, with the home team winning each game.

The Cavaliers’ 2024 first-round series against the Magic went the same way, with Cleveland winning 106-94 in Game 7 to advance.

“Protect home court. It doesn’t matter if we lost by 30 or two, protect home court. That’s all you can do,” point guard Donovan Mitchell said.

Toronto’s RJ Barrett sent it back to Cleveland for a deciding game when his 3-pointer from the top of the key with 1.2 seconds remaining in overtime hit off the back rim and bounced high above the backboard before going through the net to give the Raptors a 112-110 victory.

For many fans, the shot brought back memories of Kawhi Leonard’s four-bounce buzzer-beating winner in Game 7 of the 2019 East semifinals against Philadelphia. The Raptors would go on to win the NBA championship.

Barrett noted that the focus quickly shifted to Sunday night.

“Kind of forget everything that’s happened so far. Got one game to decide it all,” he said. “I think this group has been tough and resilient, and we’ve fought through the toughest of tasks all year long. So going to Cleveland is going to be a tough task, but that’s what we’re built for.”

The Raptors are trying to become the first team since Dallas in the 2022 Western Conference semifinals to win a Game 7 on the road after the first six were won by the home team.

Orlando Magic at Detroit Pistons

When/Where to watch: Game 7, 3:30 p.m. EDT (ABC)

Series: Series tied 3-3

Betting line: Pistons by 8.5

What to Know: Whoever wins will end a long playoff drought. The Pistons haven’t made it past the first round since 2008, while the Magic haven’t won a playoff series since 2010. Detroit is 5-5 in Game 7s and unbeaten in four home games. Orlando is 2-2 and 1-2 on the road. Cunningham has scored at least 25 points in all six playoff games, including a team-record 45 in Game 5. Orlando forward Franz Wagner, who averaged 16.8 points in the first four games, is expected to miss a third straight game with a right calf strain.

Toronto Raptors at Cleveland Cavaliers

When/Where to watch: Game 7, 7:30 p.m. EDT (NBC/Peacock)

Series: Series tied 3-3

Betting line: Cavaliers by 8.5

What to Know: Cleveland is looking to advance past the first round for the third straight year. It is 6-2 in Game 7s, including 4-0 at home. So far in the 2026 playoffs, James Harden is averaging 21.0 points and 6.7 assists, but he is also committing 5.7 turnovers per game. Toronto is 3-3 in Game 7s and is playing its first one on the road since the 2021 conference semifinals against Philadelphia, which it lost 88-87. Forward Brandon Ingram is questionable after missing Friday’s game due to right heel inflammation.

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