Jalen Tyson, James Harden lead Cavs past Pistons 113-109 without injured star Donovan Mitchell

CLEVELAND (AP) — Jaylon Tyson scored 22 points, James Harden added 18 and the Cleveland Cavaliers avenged a recent loss in Detroit by beating the East-leading Pistons 113-109 on Tuesday night despite playing without injured star Donovan Mitchell.

Evan Mobley also had 18 points and Dennis Schroder 15 for the Cavs, who split their four regular-season games with Detroit.

Mitchell sat out his fourth straight game with a nagging groin strain. Coach Kenny Atkinson said the seven-time All-Star is “trending better” but doesn't know when he'll be back to build chemistry for the postseason with Harden, who was acquired at the trade deadline.

Jalen Duren added 24 points and 14 rebounds and Tobias Harris scored 19 points — all after halftime — for the Pistons, who had their road winning streak stopped at six games. Cade Cunningham dished out 14 assists but scored only 10 on 4-of-16 shooting for Detroit.

The Pistons cut an 11-point deficit to one in the fourth, but Sam Merrill hit a big 3-pointer to help the Cavs hang on.

While it was the last meeting between Detroit and Cleveland before the playoffs, their rivalry has been reborn with both teams in Eastern Conference title contention.

Following the Cavs' overtime road loss last week, an unnamed Cleveland player chirped the Pistons “are not in our class."

Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who was fired by the Cavs in 2024, dismissed the bravado before Tuesday's game.

“If you mean it,” he said, “you don't say it anonymously.”

Cleveland center Jarrett Allen, who has been having one of the best stretches of his career, suffered a knee injury in the third quarter and didn't return. When asked about his condition on his way out of Rocket Arena, Allen said: “I'll be all right.”

Detroit's Isaiah Stewart returned from a seven-game league suspension and played 22 minutes.

Pistons: At San Antonio on Thursday.

Cavaliers: Host Boston on Sunday.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Keon Ellis (14) goes to the basket past Detroit Pistons forward Ronald Holland II (5) in the first half of an NBA basketball game in Cleveland, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden (1) shoots as Detroit Pistons guard Ausar Thompson (9) defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game in Cleveland, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley (4) shoots as Detroit Pistons forward Isaiah Stewart (28) defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game in Cleveland, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Jaylon Tyson (20) shoots over Detroit Pistons guard Javonte Green (31) in the second half of an NBA basketball game in Cleveland, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Detroit Pistons forward Isaiah Stewart (28) watches the ball after having it knocked away in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

DALLAS (AP) — Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn is trying to hold on for a fifth term in Tuesday's GOP primary, while Democrats will choose whether to send Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett or state Rep. James Talarico to a November general election where the party once again hopes it has a chance.

Texas is one of three states kicking off this year’s midterm elections with primaries that come as the U.S. and Israel are at war with Iran. At least six U.S. service members have been killed in a growing regional confrontation that sent oil and natural gas prices soaring. President Donald Trump, who campaigned on an “America First” agenda and hasn't sought congressional authorization, faces mounting questions over its rationale and an exit strategy.

Races in North Carolina and Arkansas also mark the first primaries of the 2026 midterms as Democrats look to break the GOP’s hold on Washington and derail Trump.

Cornyn faces a challenge from MAGA favorite Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general, and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt in a contest expected to advance to a May runoff. The three Republicans campaigned on their ties to Trump, who has not endorsed in the race.

Crockett and Talarico each argue that they are the stronger general election candidate in a state that backed Trump by almost 14 percentage points in 2024 and where a Democrat hasn’t won a statewide race in over 30 years.

Voting was extended in Dallas County and Williamson County, outside Austin, after voters reported being turned away and directed to different voting precincts because of new primary rules. Paxton’s office later challenged a decision keeping the polls open longer, and the state Supreme Court ruled that ballots cast by people not in line by 7 p.m. should be separated from others.

It was not immediately clear how the court’s action would be carried out.

The races also featured new congressional district boundaries that GOP lawmakers — urged on by Trump — redrew to help elect more Republicans.

Cornyn is hoping to avoid becoming the first Republican senator in Texas history not to be renominated.

His cool relationship with Trump is part of what makes Cornyn vulnerable. He and allied groups have spent at least $64 million in television advertising alone since July to try stabilize his support.

Paxton began campaigning in earnest only last month. He's made national headlines for filing lawsuits against Democratic initiatives. He remained popular in Texas despite a 2023 impeachment trial on corruption charges, of which he was acquitted, and accusations of marital infidelity by his wife.

On Tuesday evening a man wearing a camouflage hat, sunglasses and a mask covering his mouth and nose entered the Uptown Marriott hotel in Dallas, where Paxton was expected to address supporters later. He was asked to leave, and it was not clear whether his presence was connected to Paxon's event. The man was later detained by police, who removed ammunition magazines and shotgun shells from his vehicle. Paxton's campaign declined to comment.

All three Republicans have run ads boasting of their coziness with Trump. But Senate GOP leaders, who are backing Cornyn, worry that Paxton's liabilities would make it harder to defend the seat if he is the nominee — and require significant spending that could be better used elsewhere.

“Republican voters are going to need to decide, do we want to win?” Cornyn told Fox News Channel.

Hunt's entry into the race in October made it trickier for any primary candidate to win at least 50%, the threshold needed to avoid a May 26 runoff.

Crockett and Talarico waged a spirited race as Democrats look for their first Senate win in Texas since 1988.

Talarico, a seminarian who often references the Bible, has held rallies across the state including in heavily Republican areas. Crockett has built a national profile for zinger attacks on Republicans and has focused on turning out Black voters in the Dallas and Houston areas.

As vote counting continued, Crockett told supporters who gathered in Dallas that she did not plan to make a public appearance before them.

Tanu Sani, who cast a Democratic ballot in Dallas, said she'd been undecided until recently but opted for Talarico because he “really spoke to me in the way he tries to unify.”

Andrew Kern, another Democratic voter in Texas, explained his support of Talarico similarly, describing “an approach that’s bridging some of the divisiveness.”

Tomas Sanchez, a voter in Dallas County, said he supported Crockett because “she cares about immigrants, she cares about the American people in a way that a lot of the Republicans have proven they haven’t.”

Talarico had outspent Crockett on television advertising by more than four to one as of late February. He got a burst of attention — and campaign contributions — last month from CBS' decision not to air his interview with late-night host Stephen Colbert, who said the network pulled the interview for fear of angering Trump's FCC.

Texas Republicans' mid-decade redistricting was aimed at helping the GOP pick up Democratic-held seats and maintain its threadbare House majority in Washington. The result matched several Democratic incumbents in primary fights and set up new general election battlegrounds.

In the 34th District, former Rep. Mayra Flores is attempting a comeback. Flores made history in a 2022 special election as the first Republican to win in the Rio Grande Valley in 150 years, but lost her bid for a full term later that year. She faces Eric Flores, a lawyer endorsed by Trump, for the nomination to run against Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez.

In the 23rd District, Rep. Tony Gonzales is considered vulnerable after an alleged affair with a staffer who killed herself. He's being challenged by gun manufacturer and YouTube influencer Brandon Herrera, who calls himself “the AK guy.” The district includes Uvalde, site of a deadly 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School.

Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw is challenged in the 2nd District by state Rep. Steve Toth, who was endorsed by Sen. Ted Cruz.

Former Major League Baseball star Mark Teixeira is running as a Republican to succeed Republican Chip Roy in southwest Texas’ District 21. Roy is running for attorney general.

Democrat Bobby Pulido, a Latin Grammy winner, is running in South Texas' 15th District against physician Ada Cuellar. The nominee will face two-term Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz.

In the 33rd District, Democratic Rep. Julie Johnson faces former Rep. Colin Allred, a former NFL linebacker and 2024 Senate nominee.

Democratic Rep. Al Green also is fighting to stay in office after his Houston-based 9th District was drawn to be lean Republican. Green, 78, is now running in a newly drawn 18th District against Democratic Rep. Christian Menefee, 37, who won a January special election for the current 18th District.

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott easily won his primary and is expected to face Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa.

Roy is seeking the GOP nomination for state attorney general, with Paxton running for Senate. Roy has been a prominent member of the conservative Freedom Caucus.

Weissert reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Sara Cline and Jamie Stengle in Dallas and Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed.

A supporter of Texas state Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, watches as results come in during a primary election night watch party Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Supporters of Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, arrive for a primary election night watch party Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

A supporter of Texas state Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, wears a Texas state flag in their hat during a primary election watch party Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

U.S. Reps. Adelita Grijalva of Arizona, Jasmine Crockett of Texas and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, speak with voters during primary election day at the West Gray Metropolitan Multi-Service Center in Houston on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (Raquel Natalicchio /Houston Chronicle via AP)

James Talarico, a Texas Democratic primary candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks during an event at the University of Houston Monday, March 2, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Primary candidate for U.S. Senate Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, responds to a question during a broadcast interview at a campaign stop in Dallas, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, addresses supporters during a campaign stop, Monday, March 2, 2026, in Waco, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, speaks during a campaign stop in The Woodlands, Texas, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Annie Mulligan)