For one half, Donovan Mitchell looked quiet enough to make Detroit comfortable.
That was the trap.
Mitchell scored only four points before halftime, then detonated for 39 in the second half as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons 112-103 in Game 4, tying the Eastern Conference semifinal series at 2-2. His second-half explosion tied an NBA playoff record and turned Rocket Arena into a place where every possession suddenly felt like a warning siren.
The game flipped during a Cleveland avalanche around halftime. The Cavaliers trailed 56-50, then unleashed a franchise-record 24-0 run that turned the night inside out. Mitchell scored 21 in the third quarter alone.
James Harden gave Cleveland 24 points and 11 assists, while Evan Mobley added 17 points, eight rebounds and five blocks. Detroit got 24 points off the bench from Caris LeVert and 19 from Cade Cunningham, but the Pistons could not survive Mitchell’s eruption or Cleveland’s second-half defensive squeeze.
Now the series heads back to Detroit for Game 5 tied at two games apiece. The Pistons still have home court. The Cavaliers have momentum.
And Mitchell just reminded everyone that sometimes a playoff series does not turn gradually.
Sometimes it catches fire.
