Player Grades: Cavs vs Pistons Game 6 – Donovan Mitchell has to step up

James Harden

*23 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, 8 turnovers* Harden’s isolation scoring and foul-drawing have gone a long way to ensuring the Cavs never fully let go of the rope. He’s stabilized them throughout the postseason, even if his carelessness with the ball can contribute to some of their opponent’s runs. The Cavs leaned on Harden in the third quarter. He repeatedly got to the line and put Cleveland in the bonus with five minutes remaining. That extra effort is the only reason the Cavs lost that quarter by 11 points instead of 20 or more. Ultimately, this team wasn’t built for Harden to carry them. He’s supposed to be the cherry on top. Other players needed to step up. ***Grade:* D**

**Evan Mobley**

*18 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks* Mobley will get dinged for the things he didn’t do tonight, but truthfully, he gave enough for them to win this game. His all-around impact was comparable to the previous two games, with Mobley contesting shots and racking up four stocks. On offense, he was aggressive, going towards the basket and got to the line eight times. He only made half of his attempts from the charity stripe, so we can knock him for that. But most of the problems that plagued the Cavs tonight were not Mobley’s fault. ***Grade:* C+**

Jarrett Allen

*13 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block* Allen, for the most part, did his job tonight. It wasn’t anything phenomenal, but he cleaned the glass and protected the rim while finishing nearly every touch given to him on offense. The Cavs could have used a more active game from him on either end of the floor, though there was nothing too out of the ordinary here. Allen was solid. ***Grade:* C**

Dean Wade

*3 points, 3 rebounds* Wade finally hit a shot for the first time since Game 3, attempting two triples in a span of 30 seconds and connecting on one from the corner. In typical Wade fashion, he didn’t take another shot the rest of the night. He’s truly tested the limits of how often you can play a player who refuses to look at the basket on offense. ***Grade:* D**

Max Strus

*6 points, 8 rebounds* Strus gives as much effort as anyone in the NBA. His non-stop hustle contributed to some of the most important plays of the night. He grabbed 8 rebounds, 3 offensive, and worked relentlessly to get under Cade Cunningham’s skin. A better shooting night (2-7 from deep) would have made this another classic game from Strus. ***Grade:* B**–

Dennis Schroder

*0 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 3 turnovers* Schroder had 3 turnovers in his first six minutes tonight, including a double-dribble and traveling violation. You can’t afford those types of mistakes in a closeout game. ***Grade:* D**

Sam Merrill

*10 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist* Merrill looked like he was going to find his stride tonight. He connected on two of his first three three-point attempts and even got downhill for a tough layup in the third quarter. But Merrill missed his next two three-point attempts and wasn’t able to help the Cavs when they were being pounded on the defensive glass. ***Grade:* C**–