Donovan Mitchell scored a game-high 35 points, and the Cleveland Cavaliers outlasted the Detroit Pistons with a 116-109 home win in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series on Saturday.
Mitchell made 13 of 24 shots and added 10 rebounds and four assists, helping Cleveland shoot 58.1 percent from the field. Detroit now leads the series 2-1. James Harden added 19 points and seven rebounds, and Jarrett Allen scored 18 for Cleveland.
Cade Cunningham led Detroit with a team-high 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, and Tobias Harris chipped in 21 points for the Pistons.
Here are some takeaways with Game 4 set for Monday night in Cleveland:
Harden comes alive in fourth quarter
The Harden redemption game came at the right time.
Now, if only he and the fellas can stay on course.
Harden scored nine of his 19 points in an extremely tight fourth quarter. He fearlessly attacked the rim and airdropped soft floaters over Jalen Duren, into the hoop. And, as I am sure you noticed, he barely turned the ball over. Just three giveaways against seven assists. He shot 8-of-14.
Harden was in control of his own dribbling and decisions, poised in the lane, and deserves credit for putting a body on Cade Cunningham, who shot 10-of-27 and had eight turnovers.
It was nice to see Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley attack the rim against Duren and Tobias Harris, with multiple facial dunks between them.
It was good to see Mitchell play so hard at both ends. He seems to have found something offensively — he was beating the Pistons’ double teams on Saturday – and added 10 rebounds.
Watching a 17-point lead disappear in the third quarter had to test the Cavs’ nerves given what’s at stake. A commendable show of poise in the fourth quarter after blowing chances to win the previous two games – and previous four road games, if you go all the way back to the first round.
Sam Merrill returned from a hamstring strain after missing just one game and delivered seven points off the bench.
The Cavs, finally, joined the party in this series. Now, can they hang around a while? — Joe Vardon
Pistons too loose with the ball
Turnovers doomed the Pistons down the stretch. Cunningham had three consecutive turnovers that gave Cleveland just enough breathing room to halt Detroit’s comeback attempt. The Cavaliers finished the game with 27 points off of 15 Pistons turnovers. Cunningham had eight of the 16 despite his 27-point triple-double.
Jalen Duren followed a quiet Game 2 with an 11-point, 4-rebound performance in Game 3.
Despite coughing up the ball, Detroit won the possession game, taking 91 shots to Cleveland’s 74. The Pistons also had 17 offensive rebounds to the Cavaliers’ five. But ultimately the turnovers put Cleveland in position to create the breathing room it needed to hold on and take a Game 3 win that puts the series at 2-1. The loss ends the Pistons’ 5-game playoff winning streak while the Cavs remain undefeated (5-0) at home during these playoffs. — Hunter Patterson
