Donovan Mitchell scored an NBA-playoff-record-tying 39 points in the second half and finished with 43, powering the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 112-103 victory over the visiting Detroit Pistons in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Monday.
The Cavaliers, who tied the best-of-seven series 2-2, put together a 24-0 run spanning halftime to stun the top-seeded Pistons. It was the most consecutive points in a playoff game in franchise history.
Mitchell matched the mark for points in a half by Eric “Sleepy” Floyd of the Golden State Warriors against the Los Angeles Lakers on May 10, 1987, in the West semifinals.
Mitchell had just four points at halftime due to 1-of-8 field-goal shooting. After the break, he made 12 of 18 field-goal attempts, 3 of 7 3-point tries and 12 of 13 free throws in 17 minutes.
“I apologized to the group (at halftime),” Mitchell said postgame on NBC. “… Trying to set the tone early in the offense, and I didn’t do that in the first half. I came in and told my guys, ‘It’s on me,’ But I tried to make a statement in the second half.”
Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson added, “Incredible performance, really, by Donovan. A big-time second half for Don. When Donovan starts to get in the open court, that’s when he’s at his best.”
The seven-time All-Star logged 21 points in the third quarter for the fourth-seeded Cavaliers. Game 5 of the series is Wednesday in Detroit.
The Pistons won the first two games at home, while Cleveland was a 116-109 victory on Saturday.
James Harden had 24 points and 11 assists while Evan Mobley added 17 points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots for Cleveland, which is 6-0 at home this postseason.
Caris LeVert scored 24 points off the bench for Detroit, while Cade Cunningham had 19 points, six assists and five turnovers. Tobias Harris recorded 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists, and Paul Reed had 15 points.
“Donovan Mitchell was killing us, and that’s pretty much it,” Reed said. “It’s about us figuring out what adjustments we need to make. Hopefully, we can come out and play with more urgency.”
The Cavaliers held the Pistons scoreless for 6:34 after Harris made a hoop with 31.1 seconds left in the first half, turning a 56-50 deficit into a 74-56 lead. Mitchell scored the first eight points of the second half, putting his team ahead for good.
“Just not great execution, defensively or offensively,” Harris said. “It was a really bad third quarter for us, which was a huge disappointment.
“We’ve just got to step up to the moment and understand it’s the second round and display the urgency that needs to be played every game in the playoffs. Every game, it gets more and more aggressive.”
Detroit completed a 23-5 run early in the second quarter, fueled by 10 points from LeVert to go up 28-21. There were nine lead changes and three ties in the first half, which ended with the Pistons leading 56-52 despite committing 10 turnovers.
–Field Level Media
