Cleveland were beaten 107-97 as James Harden endured his worst playoff game for the Cavs, while Donovan Mitchell scored 31 and Cade Cunningham had 25 points and 10 assists.
Turnovers and poor three-point shooting left the Cavaliers chasing early, and although they briefly led in the fourth quarter, Tobias Harris and Duncan Robinson hit key shots to seal Detroit's win.
The series now shifts to Cleveland for Game 3, with the Cavaliers needing to protect home court after dropping the opening two games to the 60-win Pistons.
Can Cleveland's perfect home playoff record stop the dominant, top-seeded Pistons?
After another playoff collapse, is the James Harden experiment in Cleveland already a failure?