Donovan Mitchell leads Cavs with 35 points in crucial Game 3 win over Pistons

[p]The Cavs, who dropped the first two games in [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/detroit-pistons/UcjMRj6J/"]Detroit[/a], remained unbeaten at home in these playoffs, including a seven-game first-round series against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/toronto-raptors/CxtbCMdU/"]Toronto[/a] in which the host team won every game.[/p][p]More importantly, they avoided falling into a 3-0 hole - a deficit no NBA team has erased to win a playoff series.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mitchell-donovan/hhFqipLe/"]Mitchell[/a] added 10 rebounds and four assists. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/harden-james/zm5V3CZo/"]Harden[/a], a three-time NBA scoring champion who came in for criticism after lackluster shooting performances in games one and two, scored nine of his 19 points in a tight fourth quarter.[/p][p]His run of seven straight points late in the fourth included a dagger trey that pushed [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/cleveland-cavaliers/xGk13Tb6/"]Cleveland[/a]'s lead to four with 25.9 seconds left.[/p][p][b]"Whatever this team needs me to do, I'm going to go out there and do it,"[/b] the bearded 36-year-old said[b]. "Fourth quarter, my number was called and I go to work."[/b][/p][embed guid="9489efe5-a6d9-4663-afb1-232c1fd5029f" url="https://x.com/NBA/status/2053239324292890985?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]The Cavs withstood a 27-point triple-double from Detroit's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cunningham-cade/0YleT8PG/"]Cade Cunningham[/a], who added 10 rebounds and 10 assists.[/p][p]Trailing by as many as seven in the first quarter, the Cavaliers seized control in the second behind a clinical display from Mitchell, who electrified the Rocket Arena crowd when he wrong-footed [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/robinson-duncan/vBYcPFk5/"]Duncan Robinson[/a] and buried a step-back three, then fed [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/allen-jarrett/YFCdDdo1/"]Jarrett Allen[/a] for a dunk.[/p][p]Cleveland led 64-48 at halftime and pushed the lead to 17 early in the third before the Pistons clawed back, putting together a 12-0 scoring run to edge in front before the Cavs answered with a 9-0 run of their own.[/p][p]The back-and-forth battle saw the Cavs up 83-81 heading into the final frame, the top-seeded Pistons briefly edging ahead with less than four minutes to play before Cleveland responded again.[/p][p][b]"They made a run (when we were) up 17. We've seen it before,"[/b] Harden said. [b]"Stay composed and win the game, and that's what we did."[/b][/p][embed guid="9ad247a0-f839-4fe6-8de0-fceb1850f9cf" url="https://x.com/NBA/status/2053232057963127257?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/james-lebron/nuIVxFJk/"]LeBron James[/a] and the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/los-angeles-lakers/ngegZ8bg/"]Los Angeles Lakers[/a] are also trying to climb out of a 2-0 hole when they host the defending champion [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/oklahoma-city-thunder/0fHFHEWD/"]Oklahoma City Thunder[/a] in game three of their Western Conference series later Saturday.[/p][p]The Lakers, still without injured league-leading scorer [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/doncic-luka/pQ4ZBK0o/"]Luka Doncic[/a], lost the first two games in Oklahoma City by 18 points apiece, the Thunder's depth proving decisive.[/p][p]The Thunder, who topped the West with the best regular-season record in the league, will aim to extend their dominance over the Lakers, who also lost all four regular-season matchups.[/p]