Donovan Mitchell scored 39 of his game-high 43 points in the second half as the Cavs defeated the Pistons 112-103 in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series at Rocket Arena on Monday night.
With the win, the Cavs have tied the series at 2-2. The pivotal Game 5 is on Wednesday night in Detroit.
The Pistons led 56-52 at halftime, but this game turned in the third quarter. The Cavs began the second half on a 22-0 run, and 14 of those 22 points came from Mitchell, who scored 21 points in the third on 8-9 shooting from the field, and the Cavs led 90-77 after three quarters.
Mitchell, who shot 13/26 from the field and 13/15 from the free throw line, added 18 points in the fourth, and the Cavs had their largest lead of the game at 100-79.
The 39 second-half points are tied for the most points in a half in the postseason in NBA history.
James Harden added 24 points, 11 assists, and four steals for the Cavs, and Evan Mobley had 17 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and five blocked shots.
For the Pistons, Caris LeVert led the way with 24 points off the bench, Cade Cunningham added 19 points, Tobias Harris chipped in with 16 points, and Paul Reed had 15 off the bench.
Bottom Line:
The Cavs handled business at home, as a team is supposed to, but to win this series, they have to get one in Detroit.
Cleveland’s backcourt of Harden and Mitchell combined for 67 of the team’s 112 points. It’s great when your two best players are getting it done at a high level, which we saw in Games 3 and 4.
Now, they have to take the same energy they had in Cleveland, on the road, which won’t be easy.
The Pistons will play better at home, so the Cavs will probably have to play better than they did in Cleveland to get a road victory.
It’s the best-of-three at this point, and may the best team win.
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