Winners and Losers: Cavs vs Pistons Game 2 – Clutch offense is concerning

The Cleveland Cavaliers dropped both games in Detroit.

Let’s go over today’s winners and losers.

PARTIAL WINNER – Donovan Mitchell

I wanted to give Donovan Mitchell the full-fledged ‘WINNER’ title tonight. However, his second-half rally fell short. And we’ll talk more about the Cavs ‘ late-game execution later.

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To focus on the positives, first, Mitchell had his best game since Game 2 versus the Toronto Raptors. That’s worth feeling good about.

Mitchell had 31 points on 11-24 shooting, and he was more efficient before the game became desperate. His on-ball production looked closer to what we’ve expected from him. Bringing it up to the floor and generating blow-bys to get the defense in rotation. Mitchell settled into a groove of either hitting floaters or passing to teammates for most of the second half.

Then, closing time came.

But before that, Mitchell delivered a much-needed sign of life. This would bode well for the Cavs if it carries over to the rest of the series.

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LOSER – James Harden

I mean, listen, man. We all knew these games were coming. That doesn’t make it any less frustrating.

Harden doesn’t value possessions. That much is clear. His errant touchdown pass to Evan Mobley, who was draped by Ausar Thompson, is an example of this. There’s no reason to throw such a dangerous pass at the start of a game when the Pistons were already building a double-digit lead. That turnover added gasoline to the fire.

It got slightly better as the game went on. That is to say, Harden only had one turnover in the second half. Yeah, it came in the final minutes of a winnable game and was a result of him dribbling for 15 seconds in isolation — but it was his only turnover, nonetheless.

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Harden finished tonight 3-16 from the floor. Worse, his style of play demands the ball run through him more often than anyone else. That’s a deadly combination.