Donovan Mitchell scored 21 of his game-high 43 points in the third quarter, and the Cleveland Cavaliers evened their Eastern Conference semifinals series with the Detroit Pistons at 2-2 with a 112-103 home win in Game 4 on Monday.

James Harden added 24 points and 11 assists for Cleveland, which outscored Detroit 60-47 in the second half after breaking open the game with a 22-0 surge to start the third quarter. Mitchell erupted for 18 points during that run.

Caris LeVert scored a team-high 24 points off the bench for the Pistons, who saw Cade Cunningham and Tobias Harris combine for just 35 points on 13-for-33 shooting. The Pistons also were plagued by turnovers (20 that led to 25 Cavaliers points) and fouling (Cleveland attempted 22 more free throws). Mitchell attempted more free throws (15) than the Pistons (12).

Here are some takeaways with Game 5 set for Wednesday in Detroit:

Mitchell owns Game 4

Donovan Mitchell has taken appropriate responsibility in this series now.

As mentioned over the weekend, this matchup between the Cavs and their former coach is more about Mitchell than anyone. Losing to J.B. Bickerstaff in a playoff series, with a berth in the conference finals at stake, would just not be a good look.

OK so, this version of Mitchell might be enough for Cleveland to avoid that fate. Much was made about Mitchell’s slow start to Game 4 — he missed his first six shots, his first point came at 4:19 of the second quarter — but even at that time the Cavs were a plus-5 in Mitchell’s minutes.

And then what we saw was the kind of performance typically reserved for the all-time greats. His 21 points in the third quarter, on 8-of-9 shooting, completely turned the game. The crowd, and, by the way, this was, by far, the best Cleveland crowd I have seen/heard this season, was serenading him with “MVP” chants. He had complained about not being able to get to the line this postseason, and then ended up taking 15 free throws (making 13).

Mitchell wasn’t the only one playing. Harden had his second strong game, and the up-and-down postseason for Cleveland’s vaunted backcourt is certainly on an upswing.

Are they in line to lead the Cavs to their first road win of the 2026 playoffs? Still a long way to go.

As a quick aside, Kenny Atkinson put in his third string near the end of the game and the Pistons cut a sizable deficit down to eight points with about 50 seconds left. Atkinson had to re-insert his starters.

Also not a great look. — Joe Vardon

Pistons unravel in the second half

The Pistons completely unraveled to start the third quarter. Detroit allowed Cleveland to sprint to a 22-0 run to start the second half that took the Cavaliers from a four-point halftime deficit to an 18-point lead the Pistons were never able to overcome. Mitchell had his way with Detroit’s defense, scoring from all three levels. He matched the Pistons’ total third-quarter scoring output.

Detroit’s offense was stagnant to start the second half, which resulted in six of its 16 turnovers and gave Cleveland the momentum it needed to build a double-digit lead, and the Cavs never looked back. The Pistons tried rallying for another fourth-quarter comeback but couldn’t muster the scoring or stops necessary to do so. Mitchell was the best player on the floor in Game 4, outdueling Cunningham, who finished with 19 points on 16 shots. Turnovers were once again an issue for Cunningham, as he had five turnovers compared to six assists.

As for Jalen Duren, the big man’s postseason woes continued. He managed only eight points, and had more fouls (five) than made field goals (four). Detroit desperately needs to regroup as the series heads back to Little Caesars Arena on Wednesday even at two games apiece. — Hunter Patterson