The Cleveland Cavaliers outlasted the Detroit Pistons 112-103 to tie their second-round series at 2-2 on Monday night.
Donovan Mitchell tied an NBA playoff record with 39 points in the second half and finished with 43 points, including 15 during a 24-0 run that went 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.
James Harden also had an outstanding performance with his 40th playoff double-double with 24 points and 11 assists.
Evan Mobley tallied 17 points, five blocked shots, and three steals as Cleveland remained unbeaten at home in six playoff games.
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.
On the other hand, Caris LeVert had a season-high 24 points for Detroit, while Cade Cunningham scored 19, the first time he has been held under 20 in 11 playoff games this season, and Tobias Harris added 16.
Meanwhile, the 24-0 run was the longest in an NBA playoff game since the Timberwolves also scored 24 straight in Game 6 of their Western Conference semifinal series against Denver in 2024.
It was the longest spurt by Cleveland in a postseason game since play-by-play stats were kept in 1997-98. The previous high was 19 in an Eastern semifinal series contest against Boston.
Cleveland’s largest lead was 21 points in the fourth quarter.
Game 5 is Wednesday night in Detroit.
