What is the story about?
CLEVELAND
— The Cleveland Cavaliers pulled out a 116-109 Game 3 win over the Detroit Pistons thanks to 35 points from Donovan Mitchell and clutch shotmaking from James Harden.
The stats in the table below are taken from Cleaning the Glass. As a note, the percentiles are compared to other playoff games, which affects the sample size.
Now, let’s dive into the numbers.
- The Cavs are now 15-1 this year when Donovan Mitchell scores 35 or more points. Cleveland has gone as Mitchell has all season. That trend has now carried over to the playoffs, as seen with his scoring outburst in Game 3.
- Mitchell went 6-8 on shots in the restricted area. He continually got into the teeth of the defense and finished inside. Detroit simply couldn’t stay in front of him. This performance came after he attempted just one shot in the restricted area during the first two games combined.
- Mitchell once again couldn’t get anything to fall from three as he went 2-8. He’s connecting on just 32.2% of his outside looks this playoff run.
- Cleveland won the minutes Mitchell was on the court by seven. Mitchell was in the 86th percentile for on/off splits during the regular season. The Cavs consistently played their best basketball with him on the floor. That trend hasn’t carried over to the playoffs. Cleveland has only won Mitchell’s minutes four times this postseason. They’re 4-0 when they outscore their opponent with Mitchell on the court and 1-5 when they don’t.
- Mitchell recorded 10 rebounds. This is the first time he’s reached double-digit boards in a game since Dec. 31.
- The Cavs took 40% of their shots at the rim (85th percentile). This has been an issue throughout the series. The Cavs were in the 2nd and 31st percentile in rim attempts over the last two games.
- Cleveland made the most of those looks as they converted 84% of their attempts in the restricted area (92nd percentile).
- The Cavs executed well offensively, posting a 113.5 half-court offensive rating (87th percentile). The offense hasn’t performed great against Detroit’s set defense in the first two games of the series. Strong showings from Mitchell and Harden helped turn that around on Sunday.
- Detroit missed 13 straight threes from the first quarter through the beginning of the third. The outside shot saved the Pistons in Game 2. Its absence for the first half of this game is what led to them trailing by 17 at the start of the third.
- The Pistons went 7-10 from three to close the game. Detroit dug out of its deficit and had a chance to steal it late. The emergence of the three-ball again is what allowed them to do so.
- Detroit had 16 second-chance opportunities to Cleveland’s six. This led to the Pistons outscoring them 19-11 in second-chance points and winning the possession battle overall. Afterward, head coach Kenny Atkinson said the Cavs can’t afford to lose this area, calling getting the victory without having more possessions “unsustainable.”
- The Cavs had 27 points off turnovers to Detroit’s 19. While Cleveland didn’t win the possession battle, they took advantage of the turnovers they forced. The Cavs committed one fewer giveaway than the Pistons.
- Cade Cunningham had eight turnovers. This was an overall good game from Cunningham as he finished with a 27-point triple-double. However, not being able to take care of the ball was an issue.
- Cleveland had a 130.4 offensive rating with Sam Merrill on the floor. He was limited to just 14 minutes as he returned from a hamstring injury. His shooting and off-ball movement helped open up what was a stagnant offense during the first two games of the series.
- The Pistons were outscored by 28 in the 18 minutes Daniss Jenkins played. This was mostly because Detroit registered a 168.4 defensive rating with Jenkins on the floor. It’s dangerous to read too much into single-game plus/minus, but it’s safe to say the Cavs offense was at its best in Jenkins’s minutes.
- The Cavs have held Jalen Duran to 11 or fewer points in all three games. He is a combined 11-26 (42.3%) from the field this series after converting 65% of his shots in the regular season.
- Dean Wade was the only Cavalier starter with a negative plus/minus. The Cavs lost the nearly 17 minutes that Wade was on the floor by six.
- Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley combined to go 10-10 in the restricted area. The offense is at its best when it’s attacking the basket. The most effective way to do that is to get the bigs involved going downhill. Both were able to make an impact there in the win.
- Ausar Thompson had five assists in a game for the second time this series. Thompson isn’t a threat to score from the outside, but his ability to act as a secondary playmaker when the Cavs cheat off him has been an asset for Detroit. This is why the Pistons have had a functional offense with him on the court this game, despite his limitations on that end.
- James Harden had nine points on 4-5 shooting in the fourth. He had three big shots late to help seal the game, including a triple over Tobias Harris in the final minute.
