CLEVELAND -- Donovan Mitchell recorded one of the best scoring halves in NBA playoff history, matching a league record with 39 points in the second half of the Cleveland Cavaliers' 112-103 victory in Game 4 on Monday night that evened their second-round series with the Detroit Pistons at 2-2.
Mitchell finished the game with 43 points, and his second-half outburst tied a record set by former Golden State Warriors guard Eric "Sleepy" Floyd in 1987 against the Los Angeles Lakers. Mitchell had an opportunity to break the record, but he missed a free throw with 27.6 seconds remaining.
"Everybody let me know that I missed the free throw to break the record, though," Mitchell said with a laugh after the game. "I will say that. We're 2-2 headed to Detroit. That was what we came home to do, and that's all that matters."
The Cavs won back-to-back home games to send the Eastern Conference semifinals back to Detroit. Game 5 is Wednesday night at Little Caesars Arena.
Mitchell got off to a slow start before his second-half surge. He missed his first six shots Monday night and did not make his first field goal until 2:48 left in the second quarter. He finished with just four points in the first half, which Mitchell said after the game was a result of him not attacking the paint aggressively enough.
"Not really trying to force it," Mitchell said. "I understand that I'm going to get looks, and it's going to fall at some point. Even if they didn't, just being aggressive, more aggressive. But I'm not tripping. We were down four at half.
"For me, it was just like, OK, now I have an opportunity to try to get downhill and then start going in."
Mitchell and the Cavs took over the game from the end of the second quarter to the first six minutes of the third quarter. After trailing 56-52 at halftime, the Cavs went on a 24-0 run -- led by 15 points from Mitchell -- with Cleveland shooting 10 of 12 from the field and converting five Pistons turnovers into nine points.
"Our starters hadn't been great to start the games and start the halves," said Cavs guard James Harden, who finished with 24 points and 11 assists. "Tonight was a really good opportunity for us, and we did that. Start the game and start the halves, particularly on the defensive end. That's what led to easy opportunities, whether it's 3s or layups, rewarding our bigs.
"So, when we can be on the same page and get off to great starts like that to start the game or start the half, it's a different ballclub just because our energy shifts. That's how it has to be from here on out."
The Cavs outscored the Pistons 38-21 in the third quarter. Mitchell matched the Pistons with 21 points in the quarter. Mitchell and Harden scored or assisted on 89 points, according to ESPN Research, and Evan Mobley turned in an all-around performance with 17 points, eight rebounds, five assists, five blocks and three steals.
Meanwhile, the Cavs held Cade Cunningham to 19 points with six assists and five turnovers, and Tobias Harris finished with 16 points, snapping streaks of scoring at least 20 points for both of Detroit's top scorers.
Cleveland was playing at its full potential, the kind of all-around effort that has given the Cavs title hopes. However, to win this series against the top-seeded Pistons, the Cavs will have to win in Detroit. Cleveland is 6-0 at home this postseason and 0-5 on the road.
"It's definitely sustainable," Harden said while noting that he and Mitchell combined for three turnovers Monday. "Just getting a shot on the rim, whether it's for us or whether it's for one of our teammates, earlier in the clock, that's been beneficial for our team. And so, we did a really good job of that.
"We got work to do, but I think we found something. We capitalized off Game 3. We were even better tonight, and we got to be even better going into Game 5 on the road."
