The Cleveland Cavaliers took a must-win Game 3 on Saturday, defeating the Detroit Pistons 116-109 on Saturday and cutting their second-round playoff series deficit to 2-1.
In front of its home crowd, Cleveland showed the aggressiveness and shot-making that was lacking in losing the first two games of the series. Donovan Mitchell led all scorers with 35 points, providing the star performance the Cavs needed to get back in this series.
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The Cavs took the lead for good in the fourth quarter when Max Strus picked off a pass from Cade Cunningham and took the turnover in for a 106-104 lead. Cunningham then committed two more turnovers on Detroit’s next two possessions and James Harden hit a floater in the lane to put Cleveland up by four.
After Cunningham hit a 3 from the top of the arc to pull the Pistons within one point, Harden answered with his own 3, hitting the shot over Tobias Harris as he was knocked to the floor.
Cleveland essentially clinched the win with 20 seconds remaining in regulation after Mitchell rebounded his missed free throw, allowing the Cavaliers to add to their 114-109 lead. He was then fouled again and sank both free throws for a seven-point margin. The Pistons weren’t going to have the three possessions they needed in 15 seconds.
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Harden finished with 19 points, shooting 8-of-14 from the floor, and added seven assists. Jarrett Allen scored 18 points, while Evan Mobley added 13 points with eight rebounds. Both players notched two blocks in the win.
Donovan Mitchell and James Harden answered their critics
From the opening tip-off, both Mitchell and Harden successfully scored by taking the ball to the basket, rather than settle for outside shots as they had in the first two games of the series. Getting early scores appeared to help both guards relax from long range and knock down 3-pointers.
Mitchell’s confidence was best displayed by a stepback 3 after losing Duncan Robinson with two crossover dribbles with three minutes remaining before halftime. He finished the first half with 20 points, shooting 8-for-12 from the floor, and 5 rebounds.
Cleveland opened up a 50-40 second-quarter lead on a corner 3 from Harden, followed by an offensive rebound and dunk by Mobley.
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Like their backcourt teammates, Mobley and Allen showed more force near the basket, throwing down dunks on Detroit’s Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart. Both also protected the rim when the Pistons drove to the basket. As a result, Detroit shot 38% in the first half and got no help away from the basket, going just 14% (2-for-14) on 3-pointers.
The Pistons recovered in the third quarter, going on a 28-9 run to regain the lead at 76-74. That quieted a Rocket Arena crowd which suddenly feared the Cavs had reverted back to the team that couldn’t make shots and failed to stop Cunningham in the paint during Games 1 and 2.
However, Cleveland withstood that Detroit surge and went on a 9-0 run — with Mitchell scoring four — to regain its footing and take back the lead going into the final 12 minutes.
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For the Pistons, Cunningham scored a triple-double in defeat with 27 points (17 in the second half), 10 rebounds and 10 assists. However, he shot 10-for-27 and committed eight turnovers. Harris added 21 points, scoring 20 or more for the eighth consecutive playoff game. Robinson finished with 15 points, shooting 4-of-7 on 3-pointers.
Despite Robinson’s performance, outside shooting was again an issue for Detroit, which shot 36% (9-for-25) from long range. With Mobley and Allen protecting the basket, along with Dean Wade and Sam Merrill obstructing drives to the lane. the Pistons needed to knock down outside shots but couldn’t.
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The Cavs have a chance to even the best-of-seven series in Game 4, scheduled for Monday night. Tip-off in Cleveland is at 8 p.m. ET.
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