CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers erased a 0-2 hole and dragged their Eastern Conference playoff series with the Pistons into a decisive fifth game, beating Detroit 112-103 on Monday night to even the cavaliers vs pistons matchup at 2-2. Donovan Mitchell scored 43 points and James Harden added 24 points and 11 assists as Cleveland kept the pressure on Detroit for a second straight game.
The turnaround was sudden and sharp. Cleveland had lost Game 2 at home after Mitchell’s 31 points were wasted and Harden went 3-for-13, then returned Saturday to roll past Detroit 116-91 before finishing the job in Game 4. Over those two wins, Mitchell and Harden combined for 56 points in the first of them and then again drove the offense as the Cavaliers found a rhythm they had not shown earlier in the series.
That change mattered because the winner advances to face the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals, and Cleveland has now put itself one win from that stage after looking buried early. Coach Kenny Atkinson said the team took confidence from the pair of victories, saying the group “made a stand” and gained belief from winning those games. He also said the Cavaliers had figured some things out even if Detroit remains a difficult opponent in its own building.
Mitchell’s scoring surge has been the clearest sign of the shift. He averaged 39.0 points on 52% shooting in Games 3 and 4, after Cleveland needed him to do far more than it got in the first two contests. Harden also steadied the offense after a rough opening, cutting down on mistakes with five turnovers in Games 3 and 4 after committing 11 in the first two. Mitchell said the team has been working on spacing and on creating easier looks, and that Cleveland needs to keep running and keep putting Harden in different positions.
Detroit’s problems have not been limited to shot-making. The Pistons committed 25 total turnovers in Games 1 and 2, then 36 more in Games 3 and 4 as Cleveland’s pressure and cleaner execution tilted the series. Evan Mobley also limited Jalen Duren’s impact inside, giving the Cavaliers another edge on the defensive end. Cunningham, meanwhile, led the NBA with 5.7 turnovers per game in the playoffs, a number that reflects how much Detroit has lived with risk all postseason.
The home-road split has framed Cleveland’s run as much as any individual performance. The Cavaliers are 6-0 at home and 0-5 on the road this postseason, which is why Game 5 on Wednesday will carry so much weight for both sides. Detroit has already shown it can survive ugly stretches, including a 115-100 turnover battle in its seven-game first-round series against Orlando, but the margin for error is now gone.
For Cleveland, the path is clear enough. The series is level, the crowd has been a weapon, and Mitchell is playing like the best player on the floor. For Detroit, the challenge is just as simple: cut the turnovers, steady Cunningham and Harden, and avoid letting a series that once looked secure slip away on a night when the Cavaliers finally looked like the team they expected to be.
