James Harden’s foul baiting caused his own teammate to slip in crucial Game 6 moment

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James Harden’s foul baiting caused his own teammate to slip in crucial Game 6 moment

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Renzo Pocholo Salao | Last updated May 16, 2026 12:45 AM ET

James Harden got hit with some karmic justice on Friday in a potential closeout game for his Cleveland Cavaliers.

The former league MVP appeared to take a dive after attempting a three-point shot midway through the fourth quarter in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference semifinals matchup. Harden tried to draw a foul against Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham, but was not rewarded by the referees at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.

Harden ended up lying on the ground near the top of the key for several seconds. The Cavaliers grabbed the offensive rebound and drew a foul on Cunningham to get another crack at trimming what was then a 98-85 Pistons lead.

But as Cavaliers forward Dean Wade ran up to receive the inbound pass from Harden, Wade slipped on the same spot his All-Star teammate just covered in sweat.

Oh my. The wet spot left behind by Harden was either not cleaned and/or improperly so. Dean Wade wipes out seconds later and the Pistons get a crucial wide open layup as a result. pic.twitter.com/t4ePbCeXNH
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) May 16, 2026

Wade’s slip-up led to an uncontested fastbreak dunk for Tobias Harris to extend Detroit’s lead to 100-85. The visitors would then cruise to 115-94 win to force a Game 7.

Harden finished with a decent stat line of 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists on 6/13 shooting. But he also committed eight of Cleveland’s 20 turnovers — the 31st time in his playoff career that he finished with more turnovers than made field goals, and the fifth time this postseason alone.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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