Donovan Mitchell is the talk of the town after he exploded for 39 points in the second half of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ all-important 112-103 victory over the Detroit Pistons in Game 4 to even up their Eastern Conference semifinal series at 2-2. Mitchell woke up from a bit of a slumber in the first half to explode for a historic performance, and this was everything Cleveland needed and more to avoid going down 3-1 in the series heading back to the road.
Mitchell had a rough first half, as he scored just four points on 1-8 shooting with the Cavs down by four, 56-52, at the halftime interval. Suffice to say, that kind of performance is not good enough, especially for the number one option of a team with championship aspirations. But Mitchell, aside from taking it upon himself to get back on track, also received plenty of support from his teammates, including James Harden.
“The fact that I can have a night like that and my teammates are right there for me, that’s the biggest thing. It gives you the confidence to go out there and still be aggressive. You got [Harden] saying, ‘We’re right here. We’re still gonna ride with you regardless.’ Evan [Mobley], everybody, just having my back and continue to understand that, ‘Hey, this is what you do.'”
“They’re not really tripping on the fact that I started one for whatever [from the field]. I think that’s what also helps. You have the mental fortitude yourself, but when you have the group that not only supports you verbally but then on top of that, it’s a four-point game heading into halftime — that speaks to the group as well,” Mitchell said in his postgame presser, via the official NBA account on X (formerly Twitter).
"Everybody just had my back."
After a slow start, Mitchell's teammates continued to have full trust in him…
He proceeded to drop 39 of his 43 PTS in the 2nd half 🤯
Cavs win Game 4 to even the series at 2-2 in the East Semis! https://t.co/SMG6yBnwc0 pic.twitter.com/wAxbcZPkdA
— NBA (@NBA) May 12, 2026
The next thing on the Cavs’ mind is to get a win on the road at all costs, as they will have to do so to advance to the next round.