Pistons-Cavaliers game faces lengthy delay for bizarre — and loud — horn malfunction


Friday’s game between the Pistons and Cavaliers was delayed for roughly 12 minutes — all because the horn at Little Caesars Arena would not turn off.

During a timeout midway through the third quarter with the Pistons leading 65-64, an electrical malfunction caused the horn to keep running, prompting officials to stop the game until arena staff could fix the issue.

“I’m here at the scorer’s table, and there was a complete malfunction electrical-wise here,” sideline reporter Jorge Sedano said during the ESPN broadcast. “You can see this gentleman here working frantically to try and get everything reset.”

Sedano added that both the clocks and the score went out across the entire arena.

“Clearly you hear the horn still going off, and there’s a level of frustration here trying to figure that out,” he said. “I spoke to both coaching staffs — [Pistons head coach] J.B. Bickerstaff and [Cavaliers head coach] Kenny Atkinson — and asked them, ‘Guys, have you ever dealt with anything like this at any level?’

“They both shook their heads and said, ‘No, this is definitely a first.’”

According to the Associated Press, the malfunction was ultimately caused by a power surge.

Fans across the arena looked visibly frustrated — as some covered their ears — as the horn continued to blare.


Pistons-Cavaliers game faces lengthy delay for bizarre — and loud — horn malfunction
The game was delayed for roughly 12 minutes. X/SportsCenter

A young man at a basketball game covering his ears due to a loud horn malfunction.
A power surge is what caused the malfunction. X/SportsCenter

The delay was also long enough that both the Pistons and Cavaliers started to warm up again until it was fixed.

The horn finally turned off after 12 minutes, which prompted a loud roar from the Detroit crowd.

“There you go,” play-by-play announcer Ryan Ruocco said on the broadcast once the horn turned off. “The horn is stopped, and the fans applaud.”

For the remainder of the game, the scoring crew was tasked with using a manual airhorn while the arena was without the main scoreboard.


Knicks dismantled by Cavaliers as horrendous shooting in third allows game to unravel



CLEVELAND — Brick by brick, the Knicks were dismantled by the Cavs.

An atrocious shooting night ended Tuesday with a 109-94 loss for New York, which folded easily to its fellow Finals contender and left Rocket Arena tied for third in the East.

The third quarter was the breaking point. Or better yet, bricking point. It was horrendous.

The Knicks managed just 11 points in those 12 nasty minutes, shooting a combined (shield your eyes, children) 3-for-24 overall, 1-for-12 from beyond the arc and 4-for-8 from the foul line.

So they entered the fourth quarter down 18 and couldn’t recover, not against a stout Cavaliers defense and without the help of competent shooting.

Mike Brown finally waved the white flag with 2:42 remaining, emptying his bench and sending the starters to the walk of shame.

Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, Jalen Brunson, Landry Shamet and OG Anunoby combined to miss 42 of their 61 attempts. Bridges was aggressively misfiring at 6-for-17 on the evening.

Brunson was worse at 6 for 19. Karl-Anthony Towns was perfect but only took five shots, furthering the head-scratching trend of alternating strong performances with disappearing acts. Anunoby (five points, 2-for-9 from the field) has struggled since returning from a toe injury.

Cleveland guard Donovan Mitchell reacts after dunking in the first half of the Knicks’ 109-94 blowout road loss to the Cavaliers on Feb. 24, 2026. AP

Brown’s attempt to give an opportunity to Jeremy Sochan was also a miscalculation, with the newcomer appearing utterly lost in his two first-half minutes. Mohamed Diawara got the call in the second half and also tossed up bricks.

It was an all-around dud. The Cavs responded with a balanced but not especially potent attack. They shot just 42.5 percent as a team but it didn’t matter against the Brickerbockers.

Karl-Anthony Towns drives to the basket during the Knicks’ loss to the Cavaliers on Feb. 24, 2026 in Cleveland. NBAE via Getty Images


The Knicks (37-22) are now even with the Cavs (37-22) and at least 1 ½ games behind the No. 2 Celtics, who played Tuesday night against the Suns.

But the Cavs are surging. They revamped at the trade deadline, acquiring James Harden for the talented but habitually unavailable Darius Garland. They also brought in bench pieces Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis.

It’s all been positive for Cleveland, which has won 13 of 15 after Tuesday’s blowout. Kenny Atkinson just missed out on guiding Harden in Brooklyn before he was unceremoniously dumped by GM Sean Marks and owner Joe Tsai. Now he’s excited for the chance in Cleveland.

“His composure, calmness,” Atkinson said. “He’s just got a command of the game. That settles everybody down. It’s huge. He knows where the ball’s got to go. He knows the end of game stuff. Sharp, sharp player.”

The Knicks understood the difficulties of defending Harden and Donovan Mitchell, perhaps the best offensive backcourt in the NBA.

Jalen Brunson drives past Sam Merrill (5) during the first half of the Knicks’ loss to the Cavaliers in Cleveland. Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

But defending wasn’t the problem Tuesday for the Knicks. It was the bricklaying.

“You know how tough Harden is,” Bridges said. “His ability to create, not just for himself, but for everybody else at really an elite level. They’ve got a tandem with Donovan, how well he’s been playing and everybody else. Can definitely be tough.”