Before Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals series between the Detroit Pistons and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday, many have criticized the play of Cleveland’s backcourt, Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, who have not been at their best in this series.
However, for now, they changed the narrative in Game 3. Mitchell scored 20 of his game-high 35 points in the first half, to go along with 10 rebounds and four assists, and Harden scored nine of his 19 points in the fourth quarter as the Cavs defeated the Pistons 116-109 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland.
The Pistons lead the series 2-1, and Game 4 is Tuesday back in Cleveland.
The Cavs had their largest lead of the game at 67-50 early in the third quarter, but the Pistons went on a 26-7 run over the next eight-plus minutes to take the lead. However, the Cavs went into the fourth up 83-81.
In the fourth, with the game tied at 104, Max Strus would steal the Cade Cunningham inbound pass and would make a layup in transition to give the Cavs a 106-104 lead with 2:28 left in the contest.
Harden would score the next seven points for Cleveland, which was punctuated by a three-pointer over Tobias Harris with 25.9 seconds to go to give the Cavs an 113-109 lead over the Pistons.
For Detroit, which had five players in double figures, Cade Cunningham had a triple-double with 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. However, he had eight turnovers, including three straight down the stretch. Tobias Harris had 21 points, and Duncan Robinson added 15, including four threes.
The Cavs had five players in double figures as Jarrett Allen added 18 and Evan Mobley chipped in with 13 points and eight rebounds.
Bottom Line:
The Cavs get on the board in this series with this big win in Game 3, but they must continue to battle if they want to take Game 4.
It was good to see Harden and Mitchell break out after receiving a lot of criticism for their play in this series.
However, they have to do it again in Game 4 if they want to make this a series.
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