Donovan Mitchell leads historic second-half 'Cavalanche' as Cavaliers rally to even series with Pistons

• Allen Iverson (2001)
• Jayson Tatum (2023)
• Jalen Brunson (2024)
• Donovan Mitchell (2025)
• DONOVAN MITCHELL (2026)#LetEmKnow  | @cavs pic.twitter.com/NG0QDrjrce

— Luke Potosky (@LukePotosky) May 12, 2026

That is the most unanswered points a team has scored to open a playoff half in the last 30 years. Add in the final two points of the first half, and the Cavs' run of 25 unanswered points is the second-biggest run of its kind in the play-by-play era.

Mitchell personally rattled off eight points inside the first 96 seconds of the third quarter, and from there the "Cavalanche" was on. Mitchell wound up with 21 points in the third, marking the fifth time he has put up at least 20 points in a single playoff quarter.

Only Stephen Curry and Jamal Murray have matched that number during the play-by-play era, which dates back to 1997. Again, Mitchell is no stranger to playoff eruptions. While with the Utah Jazz, his 57 points against the Denver Nuggets in the 2020 playoffs are the third-highest single-game output in playoff history.

Later in that series, Mitchell went for 51, making him one of just four players in history to go for 50-plus twice in the same playoff series (joining Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson and Jamal Murray). Additionally, in 2024, he went for 50 against the Orlando Magic in the first round.

Mitchell wasn't at his best for the bulk of the first round, from which Cleveland barely escaped in seven games vs. the Toronto Raptors, and he's only 12 for 39 from 3 in this series. But you knew it was only a matter of time before he put on a performance like this. The dude is pure box office. Always has been. He has 109 points over the last three games of this series, which is now down to a best-of-three beginning with Game 5 on Wednesday in Detroit.