Donovan Mitchell scores 39 in second half, sparks 24-0 run, earns Cavaliers win to even series 2-2

There were a lot of things to note in this game: A red-hot Donovan Mitchell dropping 39 in the second half, James Harden spraying the ball all over the floor and racking up 11 assists, the way the Cavaliers attacked the Pistons' defense, getting them in rotation (and the way Detroit kept helping off good 3-point shooters for some reason), the Pistons turnovers, and much more. But this game was decided in the 6:03 stretch at the start of the third quarter, when the Cavaliers went on a 24-0 run to take control. After scoring just 4 points in the first half, Donovan Mitchell drops a quick 8 points in the first 2 minutes of the 3rd quarter!

NBC and Peacock pic. twitter. com/bBOfSsDYA6 — NBA on NBC and Peacock (@NBAonNBC) May 12, 2026 Mitchell scored 21 in the third quarter on 8-of-9 shooting, and behind that, the Cavaliers went from down 4 at the half to up 18, and the game was never seriously in doubt again.

Cleveland went on to win 112-103, tying up their series with Detroit 2-2. A critical Game 5 is in Detroit on Wednesday — Cleveland is 6-0 at home these playoffs and 0-5 on the road. It was a tale of two halves for Mitchell, who had just four points on 1-of-8 shooting in the first half.

It was Harden, with 15 points and six assists — 11 of those points coming early in the first – that kept the Cavaliers in striking distance. Then Mitchell put on his cape and came out like Superman in the second half, scoring 39 — tying an NBA record for points in a half in the play-by-play era. With a free throw with 27.