The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons 112-103 in Game 4, riding Donovan Mitchell’s 43 points to a tied series back to Motown.
Cleveland started this game hot. They jumped out to a 14-5 lead in the opening minutes as James Harden poured in 11 of those points all on his own. He nabbed two steals and banged home a pair of triples as the Cavs had their best start to a game this series.
That didn’t last long.
The lead was quickly reversed once Harden went to the bench and the Cavs offense went frigid.
Some timely shot-making from Tobias Harris and Caris LeVert allowed the Pistons to change momentum and end the first quarter with an advantage. LeVert started the game with 17 points on 7-12 shooting.
LeVert changed the dynamic of this game. Before his run, the Pistons’ offense was having a difficult time finding support for Cade Cunningham. LeVert not only provided aid but practically took the wheel and started driving this thing himself.
Then the third quarter came, and the Cavaliers gave us another example of how quickly playoff basketball can change.
A dominant 23-o run put the Cavs back in front. Donovan Mitchell erupted for 15 points during that sequence, breaking free from a hellish first half where he only scored 4 points. Mitchell’s scoring was complemented by an elite stretch of defense, with Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley shutting down the paint.
Detroit made a run to keep it within range through the third quarter. But Mitchell continued to apply pressure until the dam finally broke. He ended the night with 43 points to complement Harden’s double-double.
We have to take a moment to shout out both Allen and Mobley, who seem totally unbothered by Jalen Duren. The Cavs bigs have flipped the script by dominating Duren in the paint, combining for 26 points and 13 rebounds while holding Duren to just 8 points and 2 rebounds.
Still, the story of the night is Mitchell erupting for 39 points in the second half. This team is built around the idea of him being an All-NBA superstar. That looked pretty good tonight.
Game 5 is Wednesday in Detroit.
