The Cleveland Cavaliers have successfully tied their second-round series against the Detroit Pistons with a 112-103 victory at home on Monday night. Cavs big man Evan Mobley played a key role in Cleveland’s Game 4 win at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, and his brilliance, particularly on the defensive end of the floor, is not lost on head coach Kenny Atkinson.
“I thought Evan Mobley was phenomenal,” Atkinson said about his player during the postgame press conference, via Gabriella Kreuz. “That was the DPOY right there.”
The 24-year-old Mobley came out to play. He scored 17 points on 6-for-11 shooting from the field with eight rebounds, five assists, five blocks and three steals in 39 minutes of action. In addition, he posted an astonishing plus-minus of plus-20.
Mobley helped make life difficult on the court for Detroit big man Jalen Duren, who was held to only eight points on 4-for-8 shooting from the floor with just two rebounds and four turnovers in 27 minutes. Together with Jarrett Allen, Mobley had the Cavs’ frontcourt outplaying its Pistons counterpart.
The real star of the night for the Cavs was none other than Donovan Mitchell, who went off for 43 points on 13-for-26 shooting on the strength of a historic second half, but there is no denying the importance of Mobley’s presence on both ends of the court.
Mobley, who won the Defensive Player of the Year Award in the 2024-25 season, will look to sustain his form in Game 5, as the Cavs take aim at taking a 3-2 series lead when they head back to Detroit on Tuesday.