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.
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 at amorris@gannett.com and follow her on X at @alainammorris.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Donovan Mitchell, Louisville product, ties NBA playoff record for Cavs
