Detroit Pistons vs Cleveland Cavaliers Timeline: Complete NBA Head-to-Head History

The history of the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers is one of the most underestimated and also multi-layered rivalries in the history of NBA basketball. This rivalry spans over five decades, changes in the times of supremacy, star athletes, periods of reconstruction, and result fluctuations. Since the early difficulty of the Cavaliers in the 70s and the defensive dynasties of Detroit and modern rebirth of Cleveland represent only a few chapters of the basketball tale.

This article will provide complete information about Detroit Pistons vs Cleveland Cavaliers Timeline.

History of the Pistons vs Cavaliers Rivalry

The initial season between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons was in 197071 NBA season when Cleveland joined the league. The match has since been played 243 times between the two Central Division rivals in the regular season, and is one of the most played between the two in the history of the Eastern Conference.

Team	Wins	Losses
Detroit Pistons	134	109
Cleveland Cavaliers	109	134

Detroit holds the overall edge, but the story becomes far more interesting when broken down by era.

Early History of the Detroit Pistons vs Cleveland Cavaliers Timeline (1970–1979)

The Detroit Pistons vs Cleveland Cavaliers history started around the early seventies and it was mostly dominated by Detroit. As a relatively new NBA franchise, Cleveland had problems with lineup consistency and general stability. Conversely, the Pistons already had a better-established team structure and thus they had dominated most of the regular-season meetings in this decade. The games of this period were generally low-scoring and defensive in nature, and often Cleveland was pushed into lengthy losing sprees by Detroit. Despite the occasional wins of the Cavaliers, particularly at home, the Pistons established the standard of rivalry by claiming the early hegemony, especially in the games that were held in Detroit.

Detroit Pistons vs Cleveland Cavaliers Timeline Changed During the 1980s

The 1980s saw a distinct change in the rivalry between the Pistons and the Cavaliers as Cleveland started to narrow the gap. Cavaliers became better in team chemistry and performance, and Detroit gradually became one of the most difficult defensive organizations in the league. The games of this decade were more physical and intense and were usually characterized by a close score and overtime ending. Season changes were often unpredictable and momentum could change along the way. The Pistons still won numerous decisive games although Cleveland made progress and this is the preparatory work that paved the way to their dominance at the end of the decade.

Head to Head Timeline (Late 1980s -Early 1990s)

The timeframe in the Cleveland Cavaliers history that shows the most domineering period in the history of the club is in the late 1980s and the early 1990s. This period was when the Pistons had become a force to reckon with in the NBA, due to their defense which was elite, deep and incredibly physical. Cleveland had difficulties in their opposition to the aggressive game of Detroit, especially in the road games. During 1987-1991, Pistons had several long winning streaks, during which the Cavaliers could rarely score more than 90. This era greatly increased the all-time head-to-head rivalry and established the dominance of Detroit in the competition.

Head to Head (Mid to Late 1990s)

In the mid to late 1990s, the Detroit Pistons vs Cleveland Cavaliers time frame reached a better balanced period. Cleveland started gaining some momentum when Detroit struggled with both roster transitions and injuries. The Cavaliers performed better at home, the scoring rate grew in each of the matches, and blowouts became infrequent. Season series were more equally divided and the results are more difficult to guess. The period brought out the increasing competitiveness of Cleveland and a momentary displacement of the past hegemony of Detroit.

Head to Head Timeline of (Early 2000s)

The Cavaliers head-to-head timeline had been squarely reclaimed by Detroit in the early 2000s. The Pistons went into another golden era that was characterized by dogged team defense and battery performance at both ends of the court. Cleveland, in the meantime, had passed through years of rebuilding, and this constrained their possibilities in opposition to the elite. Detroit had a series of multi-game winning streaks against the Cavaliers between 2002 and 2005, and it was usually comfortable, with at least a double-digit lead. This run solidified the long-term advantage the Pistons had in the competition and preconditioned the further phases of their current NBA history.

Upcoming Detroit Pistons vs Cleveland Cavaliers Games (2025–26 NBA Season)

The rivalry between Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers persist in 2025-26 NBA season with two regular season games to play after January 29, 2026. These Central Division encounters are another chapter to their long time head to head history. Both games already have tickets being sold which indicates a high interest in the fans as Cleveland works to secure a playoff spot and Detroit looks to challenge its rebuilt roster against a more competitive team. The following engagement will be on February 27, 2026, when Cleveland Cavaliers will tour to Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars arena. The game will begin at 7:00 PM ET and it would be broadcasted nationally on ESPN. The price of the tickets now begins at the 50-60 segment, which means that there is great demand in this matchup. This game is also just a few days following the West Coast road trip by Cleveland hence it is a significant scheduling trial to the Cavaliers.

The last Weekly Match between the two will be played on March 3, 2026, when the Pistons will be hosted by the Cavaliers at the Rocket arena in Cleveland. This game, which will take place at 7:00 PM ET, will have cheaper admission prices, as the tickets will cost at least 17.65 dollars. This game might affect late season momentum and Eastern Conference seeds depending on the standings. The tension is increased when Detroit wins 114 versus Cleveland 110 on January 4, 2026, which gave the rest of the games more intensity.

The Cavaliers have the last winning streak in terms of total performance, but the Pistons come to these competitions in need of redemption and development. NBA schedules tend to change as usual, so it is always advised to keep followers of news related to the league.

Date	Home Team	Away Team	Time (ET)	Venue	Tickets From
February 27, 2026	Detroit Pistons	Cleveland Cavaliers	7:00 PM	Little Caesars Arena	$50.40
March 3, 2026	Cleveland Cavaliers	Detroit Pistons	7:00 PM	Rocket Arena	$17.65

Detroit Pistons vs Cleveland Cavaliers Timeline Season Wise

2024–25 Season

Gm #	Date	Matchup	Result	Score	OT	Streak	H2H
241	Mar 28, 2025	DET vs CLE	W	133-122	–	Pistons won 1	133-108
240	Feb 5, 2025	DET vs CLE	L	115-118	–	Cavaliers won 12	132-108
239	Jan 27, 2025	DET @ CLE	L	91-110	–	Cavaliers won 11	132-107
238	Oct 25, 2024	DET @ CLE	L	101-113	–	Cavaliers won 10	132-106

2023–24 Season

Gm #	Date	Matchup	Result	Score	OT	Streak	H2H
237	Mar 1, 2024	DET vs CLE	L	100-110	–	Cavaliers won 9	132-105
236	Jan 31, 2024	DET @ CLE	L	121-128	–	Cavaliers won 8	132-104
235	Dec 2, 2023	DET vs CLE	L	101-110	–	Cavaliers won 7	132-103
234	Nov 17, 2023	DET @ CLE	L	100-108	–	Cavaliers won 6	132-102

2022–23 Season

Gm #	Date	Matchup	Result	Score	OT	Streak	H2H
233	Mar 4, 2023	DET @ CLE	L	90-114	–	Cavaliers won 5	132-101
232	Feb 8, 2023	DET @ CLE	L	85-113	–	Cavaliers won 4	132-100
231	Nov 27, 2022	DET vs CLE	L	94-102	–	Cavaliers won 3	132-99
230	Nov 4, 2022	DET vs CLE	L	88-112	–	Cavaliers won 2	132-98

2021–22 Season

Gm #	Date	Matchup	Result	Score	OT	Streak	H2H
229	Mar 19, 2022	DET @ CLE	L	109-113	–	Cavaliers won 1	132-97
228	Feb 24, 2022	DET vs CLE	W	106-103	–	Pistons won 2	132-96
227	Jan 30, 2022	DET vs CLE	W	115-105	–	Pistons won 1	131-96
226	Nov 12, 2021	DET @ CLE	L	78-98	–	Cavaliers won 1	130-96

2020–21 Season

Gm #	Date	Matchup	Result	Score	OT	Streak	H2H
225	Apr 19, 2021	DET vs CLE	W	109-105	–	Pistons won 1	130-95
224	Jan 27, 2021	DET @ CLE	L	107-122	–	Cavaliers won 4	129-95
223	Dec 26, 2020	DET vs CLE	L	119-128	2OT	Cavaliers won 3	129-94

2019–20 Season

Gm #	Date	Matchup	Result	Score	OT	Streak	H2H
222	Jan 27, 2020	DET vs CLE	L	100-115	–	Cavaliers won 2	129-93
221	Jan 9, 2020	DET vs CLE	L	112-115	OT	Cavaliers won 1	129-92
220	Jan 7, 2020	DET @ CLE	W	115-113	–	Pistons won 2	129-91
219	Dec 3, 2019	DET @ CLE	W	127-94	–	Pistons won 1	128-91

2018–19 Season

Gm #	Date	Matchup	Result	Score	OT	Streak	H2H
218	Mar 18, 2019	DET @ CLE	L	119-126	–	Cavaliers won 1	127-91
217	Mar 2, 2019	DET @ CLE	W	129-93	–	Pistons won 3	127-90
216	Nov 19, 2018	DET vs CLE	W	113-102	–	Pistons won 2	126-90
215	Oct 25, 2018	DET vs CLE	W	110-103	–	Pistons won 1	125-90

2017–18 Season

Gm #	Date	Matchup	Result	Score	OT	Streak	H2H
214	Mar 5, 2018	DET @ CLE	L	90-112	–	Cavaliers won 1	124-90
213	Jan 30, 2018	DET vs CLE	W	125-114	–	Pistons won 1	124-89
212	Jan 28, 2018	DET @ CLE	L	104-121	–	Cavaliers won 3	123-89
211	Nov 20, 2017	DET vs CLE	L	88-116	–	Cavaliers won 2	123-88

2016–17 Season

Gm #	Date	Matchup	Result	Score	OT	Streak	H2H
210	Mar 14, 2017	DET @ CLE	L	96-128	–	Cavaliers won 1	123-87
209	Mar 9, 2017	DET vs CLE	W	106-101	–	Pistons won 2	123-86
208	Dec 26, 2016	DET vs CLE	W	106-90	–	Pistons won 1	122-86
207	Nov 18, 2016	DET @ CLE	L	81-104	–	Cavaliers won 1	121-86

2015–16 Season

Gm #	Date	Matchup	Result	Score	OT	Streak	H2H
206	Apr 13, 2016	DET @ CLE	W	112-110	OT	Pistons won 2	121-85
205	Feb 22, 2016	DET @ CLE	W	96-88	–	Pistons won 1	120-85
204	Jan 29, 2016	DET vs CLE	L	106-114	–	Cavaliers won 1	119-85
203	Nov 17, 2015	DET vs CLE	W	104-99	–	Pistons won 1	119-84

2014–15 Season

Gm #	Date	Matchup	Result	Score	OT	Streak	H2H
202	Apr 13, 2015	DET @ CLE	L	97-109	–	Cavaliers won 3	118-84
201	Feb 24, 2015	DET vs CLE	L	93-102	–	Cavaliers won 2	118-83
200	Jan 27, 2015	DET vs CLE	L	95-103	–	Cavaliers won 1	118-82
199	Dec 28, 2014	DET @ CLE	W	103-80	–	Pistons won 1	118-81

2013–14 Season

Gm #	Date	Matchup	Result	Score	OT	Streak	H2H
198	Apr 9, 2014	DET @ CLE	L	100-122	–	Cavaliers won 3	117-81
197	Mar 26, 2014	DET vs CLE	L	96-97	–	Cavaliers won 2	117-80
196	Feb 12, 2014	DET vs CLE	L	89-93	–	Cavaliers won 1	117-79
195	Dec 23, 2013	DET @ CLE	W	115-92	–	Pistons won 7	117-78

2012–13 Season

Gm #	Date	Matchup	Result	Score	OT	Streak	H2H
194	Apr 10, 2013	DET @ CLE	W	111-104	–	Pistons won 6	116-78
193	Feb 1, 2013	DET vs CLE	W	117-99	–	Pistons won 5	115-78
192	Dec 8, 2012	DET @ CLE	W	104-97	–	Pistons won 4	114-78
191	Dec 3, 2012	DET vs CLE	W	89-79	–	Pistons won 3	113-78

2011–12 Season

Gm #	Date	Matchup	Result	Score	OT	Streak	H2H
190	Apr 17, 2012	DET vs CLE	W	116-77	–	Pistons won 2	112-78
189	Mar 28, 2012	DET @ CLE	W	87-75	–	Pistons won 1	111-78
188	Feb 21, 2012	DET @ CLE	L	100-101	–	Cavaliers won 4	110-78
187	Dec 28, 2011	DET vs CLE	L	89-105	–	Cavaliers won 3	110-77

2010–11 Season

Gm #	Date	Matchup	Result	Score	OT	Streak	H2H
186	Apr 11, 2011	DET vs CLE	L	101-110	–	Cavaliers won 2	110-76
185	Mar 25, 2011	DET @ CLE	L	91-97	–	Cavaliers won 1	110-75
184	Feb 9, 2011	DET @ CLE	W	103-94	–	Pistons won 2	110-74
183	Dec 5, 2010	DET vs CLE	W	102-92	–	Pistons won 1	109-74

2009–10 Season

Gm #	Date	Matchup	Result	Score	OT	Streak	H2H
182	Mar 21, 2010	DET @ CLE	L	79-104	–	Cavaliers won 7	108-74
181	Mar 16, 2010	DET vs CLE	L	101-113	–	Cavaliers won 6	108-73
180	Mar 5, 2010	DET @ CLE	L	92-99	–	Cavaliers won 5	108-72
179	Nov 25, 2009	DET vs CLE	L	88-98	–	Cavaliers won 4	108-71

2008–09 Season

Gm #	Date	Matchup	Result	Score	OT	Streak	H2H
178	Mar 31, 2009	DET @ CLE	L	73-79	–	Cavaliers won 3	108-70
177	Feb 22, 2009	DET @ CLE	L	78-99	–	Cavaliers won 2	108-69
176	Feb 1, 2009	DET vs CLE	L	80-90	–	Cavaliers won 1	108-68
175	Nov 19, 2008	DET vs CLE	W	96-89	–	Pistons won 3	108-67

2007–08 Season

Gm #	Date	Matchup	Result	Score	OT	Streak	H2H
174	Apr 16, 2008	DET @ CLE	W	84-74	–	Pistons won 2	107-67
173	Mar 29, 2008	DET vs CLE	W	85-71	–	Pistons won 1	106-67
172	Mar 19, 2008	DET @ CLE	L	73-89	–	Cavaliers won 1	105-67
171	Nov 28, 2007	DET vs CLE	W	109-74	–	Pistons won 2	105-66

2006–07 Season

Gm #	Date	Matchup	Result	Score	OT	Streak	H2H
170	Apr 8, 2007	DET vs CLE	W	87-82	–	Pistons won 1	104-66
169	Mar 7, 2007	DET vs CLE	L	97-101	OT	Cavaliers won 1	103-66
168	Feb 4, 2007	DET @ CLE	W	90-78	–	Pistons won 5	103-65
167	Dec 21, 2006	DET @ CLE	W	87-71	–	Pistons won 4	102-65

2005–06 Season

Gm #	Date	Matchup	Result	Score	OT	Streak	H2H
166	Apr 12, 2006	DET vs CLE	W	96-73	–	Pistons won 3	101-65
165	Feb 27, 2006	DET @ CLE	W	84-72	–	Pistons won 2	100-65
164	Feb 26, 2006	DET vs CLE	W	90-78	–	Pistons won 1	99-65
163	Dec 31, 2005	DET @ CLE	L	84-97	–	Cavaliers won 1	98-65

2004–05 Season

Gm #	Date	Matchup	Result	Score	OT	Streak	H2H
162	Apr 17, 2005	DET vs CLE	W	90-87	–	Pistons won 1	98-64
161	Mar 22, 2005	DET @ CLE	L	76-91	–	Cavaliers won 1	97-64
160	Dec 16, 2004	DET vs CLE	W	81-69	–	Pistons won 1	97-63
159	Nov 24, 2004	DET @ CLE	L	76-92	–	Cavaliers won 1	96-63

2003–04 Season

Gm #	Date	Matchup	Result	Score	OT	Streak	H2H
158	Mar 21, 2004	DET @ CLE	W	96-76	–	Pistons won 1	96-62
157	Feb 3, 2004	DET vs CLE	L	82-85	–	Cavaliers won 2	95-62
156	Dec 11, 2003	DET @ CLE	L	86-95	–	Cavaliers won 1	95-61
155	Nov 28, 2003	DET vs CLE	W	92-88	–	Pistons won 8	95-60

2002–03 Season

Gm #	Date	Matchup	Result	Score	OT	Streak	H2H
154	Apr 14, 2003	DET vs CLE	W	89-88	–	Pistons won 7	94-60
153	Feb 16, 2003	DET @ CLE	W	90-75	–	Pistons won 6	93-60
152	Dec 20, 2002	DET vs CLE	W	109-107	OT	Pistons won 5	92-60
151	Dec 18, 2002	DET @ CLE	W	111-106	OT	Pistons won 4	91-60

2001–02 Season

Gm #	Date	Matchup	Result	Score	OT	Streak	H2H
150	Mar 13, 2002	DET vs CLE	W	85-84	–	Pistons won 3	90-60
149	Feb 2, 2002	DET @ CLE	W	115-107	–	Pistons won 2	89-60
148	Jan 5, 2002	DET vs CLE	W	101-91	–	Pistons won 1	88-60
147	Dec 4, 2001	DET @ CLE	L	88-100	–	Cavaliers won 2	87-60

2000–01 Season

Gm #	Date	Matchup	Result	Score	OT	Streak	H2H
146	Feb 25, 2001	DET vs CLE	L	94-101	–	Cavaliers won 1	87-59
145	Feb 3, 2001	DET @ CLE	W	88-81	OT	Pistons won 2	87-58
144	Dec 1, 2000	DET vs CLE	W	103-93	–	Pistons won 1	86-58
143	Nov 21, 2000	DET @ CLE	L	98-117	–	Cavaliers won 1	85-58

Conclusion 

The history of Detroit Pistons vs Cleveland Cavaliers is a mutual conflict that has developed over the years because of evolving ages, team image, and winning streaks. Since Detroit was leading in the 1970s and the Cavaliers were gradually leading in the 1980s, the golden years of the Pistons, late 1980s and early 1990s, and the back and forth fights of the late 1990s and early 2000s, the rivalry between the two has not been static. Their defensive capabilities have traditionally provided Detroit with the advantage and Cleveland demonstrated strengths in the time of rebuilding several times. This head-to-head history is one of the significant historical chapters in the NBA Central Division rivalries with more than five decades of regular-season fights.

FAQs: Detroit Pistons vs Cleveland Cavaliers Timeline