Donovan Mitchell explodes for NBA playoff record-tying 39 second-half points, leads Cavaliers to 2-2 series tie with Pistons

James Harden set them up. Donovan Mitchell knocked them down.

And the Cleveland Cavaliers ran away with a 112-103 Game 4 win over the Detroit Pistons Monday night. A series that the Pistons once led, 2-0 is now up for grabs at 2-2.

Harden paced the Cavaliers early with 11 straight Cleveland points in the first quarter. Mitchell then exploded with 21 points in the third quarter after a four-point first half to spark a 23-0 Cavaliers to start the second half.

History for Mitchell, Cavaliers

Mitchell finished with 43 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists. He shot 13 of 26 from the field and 4 of 12 from 3. His 39 second-half points are tied with Sleepy Floyd for the most in a half in postseason history.

Mitchell went to the bench with Cleveland’s starters late in the game, one point shy of the record and his night seemingly done.

But head coach Kenny Atkinson put his starters back on the court late when the Pistons cut their deficit to single digits. And Mitchell tied Floyd’s record set in 1987 with a 1-of-2 trip to the free throw line in the game’s final minute.

More records

The 20-plus point quarter in the third was the fifth of Mitchell’s playoff career, tying him with Stephen Curry and Jamal Murray for the most in postseason history. It also sparked some team history for the Cavaliers.

The 23-0 second half run extended to 25-0 with the last bucket of the second quarter. And it added up to Cleveland’s largest postseason scoring run since the start of the play-by-play era that started in the 1996-97. That’s a stretch that featured nine LeBron James postseasons.

The run turned a 56-52 halftime deficit into a 75-56 lead that the Cavaliers never relinquished. Detroit punched back. But it never recovered to threaten Cleveland’s lead.

Mitchell ‘apologized’ after 4-point first half

“I apologized to the group,” Mitchell told NBC of his halftime message to his teammates after a four-point first half. … “I came in and told the guys, it’s on me. I tried to make a statement in the second half.”

Make a statement, Mitchell did. And the Cavs are back in the series with a trip to the Eastern Conference finals at stake.

Harden delivers again; Mobley fills up stat sheet

Mitchell wasn’t alone Monday night. Harden deferred to his red-hot backcourt mate after halftime, but still managed to finish with 24 points, 11 assists and 4 steals.

And the turnovers that plagued Harden and the Cavaliers through the first two games weren’t an issue. Harden committed just two turnovers, and the Cavaliers secured an 18-13 edge in takeaways.

While Mitchell was filling up the scoring column, Evan Mobley stuffed the stat sheet across the board, living up to his Defensive Player of the Year billing. He fell just short of an elusive 5×5, but will surely settle for his 17 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 blocks and 3 steals in a playoff win.

This is what the Cavaliers envisioned when they acquired Harden at the trade deadline. Harden was a bust in the opening two games of the series, setting himself up to be the lowercase goat of a potential lopsided loss.

But he bounced back with clutch scoring in a Game 3 win and fit in exactly where the Cavaliers needed him Monday night with big scoring early and playmaking down the stretch as Mitchell took over.

The Cavaliers are now hoping that translate on the road when the series shifts back to Detroit Wednesday night.