Cavaliers close Pistons in Game 4 highlights

The game turned on one thing — Cleveland finally found a gear Detroit could not survive. The Cavaliers beat the Pistons 112-103 in Game 4 on Monday, May 11, and the series is suddenly even again at 2-2. That matters because Detroit had this matchup by the throat a week ago. Now the whole feel of the series has changed, mostly because Donovan Mitchell spent one half turning a close game into a warning. ### What actually swung this game? The score was tight at halftime — Detroit led 56-52 — and Cleveland did not look like a team about to seize control. Then the Cavs opened the third quarter on a 22-0 run. That stretch basically broke the game’s spine. Detroit went from leading to scrambling, and every possession after that felt like catch-up instead of control. ### Why are the highlights so focused on Mitchell? (nba.com) Because the second half was absurd. Mitchell finished with 43 points, but the real number is 39 after halftime. That tied the NBA playoff record for points in a half. He went from a quiet first two quarters to the only player on the floor who consistently bent Detroit’s defense out of shape. When a highlight package keeps snapping back to the same guy, that is usually why. ### Was this only a one-man takeover? Not really. Mitchell was the headline, but Cleveland also got a big two-way game from Evan Mobley, who finished with 17 points, five blocks, and three steals. That part matters because the Cavs did not just outscore Detroit for a stretch — they shut off driving lanes, erased shots at the rim, and made the Pistons play smaller and more tentative than they wanted. (nba.com) ### What went wrong for Detroit? The Pistons never recovered once the game sped up on them. Caris LeVert scored a season-high 24 points, which kept them alive for a while, but Cade Cunningham managed only 19. That was the first time in 11 playoff games this postseason that Cunningham had been held under 20. For a team that needs his shot creation to settle everything down, that is a big red flag. (nba.com) ### Why does the fourth quarter still matter? Because that is where Cleveland proved the comeback was not just a hot burst. Detroit trimmed the margin a few times, but the Cavs kept answering. The closing possessions in the highlights matter less as isolated clips than as proof of composure — Cleveland did not waste the third-quarter avalanche with sloppy late execution. The Cavs finished the job. (nba.com) ### How different does the series look now? Very different. Detroit won Games 1 and 2 at home and looked like the steadier team. Cleveland has now answered with back-to-back wins at Rocket Arena, staying undefeated at home in these playoffs through six games. So the series has gone from “Detroit in control” to “best-of-three, and Cleveland has the momentum.” ### What should people watch in Game 5? (nba.com) Two things — whether Mitchell can keep forcing Detroit into emergency rotations, and whether Cunningham can reassert the tempo. Game 5 is set for Wednesday, May 13. That is the swing game now. If Detroit regains its early-series poise, the first two wins still mean something. But if Cleveland brings this version of its defense and gets another shot-making binge from Mitchell, the series favorite may have changed in everything but seeding. ### Bottom line This was not just a highlights game. It was a control-of-series game. Cleveland took it by surviving the first half, detonating in the third, and letting Mitchell author the kind of half that changes how everyone reads the matchup. (nba.com)