CLEVELAND – Donovan Mitchell set an NBA playoff record with 39 points in the second half, as the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Detroit Pistons 112-103 in the second round on Monday night.
Mitchell tied Eric “Sleepy” Floyd’s mark on a free throw with 27.6 seconds left. He had a chance to break the record in 1987 against the Los Angeles Lakers, but missed his second shot.
Mitchell finished with a career-high 43 points, including 15 during Cleveland’s 24-0 run that lasted from the last 12 seconds of the first half to the first six minutes of the third quarter. Cleveland trailed 56-52 at halftime before taking control.
The Cavaliers were 10 of 12 from the field and made three 3-pointers. They also converted five turnovers by the Pistons into nine points.
The 24-0 run was the longest in an NBA playoff game since Minnesota also scored 24 straight in Game 6 of a Western Conference semifinal series against Denver in 2024. It was also Cleveland’s longest surge in a postseason game since play-by-play statistics were kept in 1997-98. The previous high was 19 in the Eastern Conference semifinal contest against Boston.
James Harden achieved a double-double for the 40th time, with 24 points and 11 assists. Evan Mobley scored 17 points, five blocked shots and three steals, as Cleveland remained unbeaten at home in six playoff games.
Caris LeVert scored a season-high 24 points for Detroit. Cade Cunningham scored 19 goals, the first time the Under-20s had lasted 11 playoff games this season, and Tobias Harris added 16 goals.
Game 5 will be played Wednesday night in Detroit.
Harden scored 11 points, including three three-pointers, as the Cavaliers led 16-5 five minutes into the game. The Pistons responded with a 23-5 run, including 10 points by LeVert. Detroit was 9 of 13 from the field during the eight-minute spurt while Cleveland was 2 of 14 and missed all eight three-point attempts.
Cleveland’s largest lead was 21 points in the fourth quarter.