Louisville basketball's Donovan Mitchell ties NBA playoff record

Donovan Mitchell scored 39 points in the second half to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 112-103 victory over the Detroit Pistons in Game 4 on Monday night to even the NBA second-round playoff series at 2-2.

The former Louisville Cardinal contributed 43 total points, with his second-half explosion tying a playoff record for the most points scored in a half, which was set by Golden State Warriors guard Eric "Sleepy" Floyd in 1987.

Mitchell had the opportunity to break the record when shooting a pair of free throws with 27.3 seconds left, but missed the second of the two.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) shoots as Detroit Pistons guard Caris LeVert defends during Game 4 of a second-round NBA playoff series May 1, 2026, in Cleveland.

The Cleveland guard started his record-setting night just 1-for-8 from the field and did not score until the 2:48 mark of the second quarter.

This was Mitchell's fourth 40-point playoff performance with the Cavaliers, giving him the second-most in franchise history behind LeBron James, passing Kyrie Irving.

Mitchell played for Louisville from 2015-17. He was then drafted with the 13th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, going to the Utah Jazz in a draft-day trade with the Denver Nuggets. He was traded to Cleveland in 2022.

Since entering the league, Mitchell has been a seven-time NBA All-Star, a member of the All-NBA first team in 2025, the 2018 Slam Dunk Contest champion and a member of the NBA All-Rookie Team in 2018. This season, he averaged 27.9 points, 5.7 assists and 4.7 rebounds.

The Cavaliers will play the Pistons in Detroit in Game 5 on Wednesday, May 13.

Reach sports trending writer Alaina Morris atamorris@gannett.comand follow her on X at @alainammorris.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Donovan Mitchell, Louisville product, ties NBA playoff record for Cavs