Donovan Mitchell makes history: “I wanted to send a message”
Donovan Mitchell delivered a historic performance, scoring 39 points in the second half alone to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 2-2 series tie against the Detroit Pistons
The Cleveland Cavaliers came up with a huge win in Game 4, beating the Detroit Pistons 112-103 and evening the series at 2-2.
The unquestioned star of the night was Donovan Mitchell, who turned in a performance that will go down in the NBA record books. After what he called a “putrid” first half, in which he scored just four points, the Cavs star erupted after halftime.
Donovan Mitchell’s historic night
Spida scored 39 of his 43 total points in the second half, tying the all-time playoff record set by Eric “Sleepy” Floyd for points scored in one half of a postseason game.
Mitchell also became just the second player in the last 20 years – after Jimmy Butler in 2016 – to score fewer than 5 points in the first half and more than 38 after the break. Helping power the win was a strong outing from James Harden, who added 24 points and 11 assists.
So far in this series I hadn’t been able to attack the paint the way I wanted to. I think attacking early in the shot clock made the difference for me, and the shots started falling. But now we have to stay focused
Donovan Mitchell
Despite the records, Mitchell showed strong leadership, revealing that he apologized to the team at halftime.
I apologized to the group. I hadn’t set the right tone in the first half. I told the guys it was my fault, and I tried to send a strong message in the second half
Donovan Mitchell
The Cavs win a crucial game that shifts the momentum heading back to Detroit, where a pivotal Game 5 will be played. Historically, the winner of Game 5 in a tied series goes on to win the matchup 81.5% of the time.