Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell looked out of sync during the first half of Game 4 against the Detroit Pistons on May 11, scoring just four points on 1-of-8 shooting. But the seven-time All-Star turned into a different player after the break, erupting for 39 points in the second half to power Cleveland to a 112-103 win and knot the Eastern Conference semifinals at 2-2.
Mitchell’s second-half outburst tied the all-time NBA playoff record for most points in a half, matching the mark set by Golden State Warriors guard Eric “Sleepy” Floyd on May 10, 1987, against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Cavaliers star dropped 21 points in the third quarter on 8-of-9 shooting, including two 3-pointers and three free throws, then added 18 more in the fourth quarter on 4-of-9 shooting and 9-of-10 from the charity stripe.
“I apologized to the guys at halftime for my low output and decision-making,” Mitchell said after the game. “I set the tone in Game 3, came downhill in transition, and I don’t think I did that one time in the first half. So, I came in and told them, ‘That’s on me.’ I tried to make a statement in the second half.”
Cleveland started the third quarter with a 23-0 run, sparked largely by Mitchell’s hot hand. However, he credited the team’s game plan and ball movement for the turnaround. “We just continued to play together and move the ball. That’s where it starts,” he said. “I was able to get into the paint, and we did a great job of getting everybody involved in the second half
