Cavaliers earn must-win Game 3 at home, defeating Pistons 116-109 with Donovan Mitchell scoring 35 points

Cavaliers earn must-win Game 3 at home, defeating Pistons 116-109 with Donovan Mitchell scoring 35 points

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 that the Cavs needed to get back in this series.

The Cavs took the lead for good 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.

Both Mitchell and James 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 five rebounds.