Donovan Mitchell helps Cavs keep Finals hopes alive with clutch Game 3

Story by

Michael Whitaker, ClutchPoints

Sat, May 9, 2026 at 11:01 PM UTC ·

1 min read

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The Cleveland Cavaliers were in desperate need of a victory on Saturday afternoon against the Detroit Pistons in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference Semifinal series after dropping both of the opening games in the Motor City.

Thanks to a clutch performance from Donovan Mitchell , the Cavaliers managed to do just that, winning by a final score of 116-109 and cutting Detroit’s series lead in half. It was a statement win from Cleveland, who could ill-afford to fall behind by three games to Detroit.

It was Mitchell who made the biggest difference for his club, as he scored 35 points on 13 for 24 shooting for the host Cavaliers, while also grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing out four assists. Not only that, but he’s now reached 2,000 career NBA Playoff game points in just 73 playoff games, tied for the ninth fastest ever.

The Cavaliers, who shot 58.1 percent from the field, also got 19 points from James Harden , who had struggled in the series up until Saturday. Cleveland also got 18 points from Jarrett Allen , while Evan Mobley added 13 points while also grabbing eight rebounds.

Meanwhile, the Pistons were paced by a triple-double from Cade Cunningham , who scored 27 points while also grabbing 10 rebounds with 10 assists. Detroit also got 21 points from Tobias Harris and 15 points from Duncan Robinson .

Cleveland took advantage of Detroit being careless with the ball, accumulating 27 points off of 15 separate Detroit turnovers.

Mitchell and the Cavaliers will look to knot the series at two games apiece when they reconvene for Game 4 on Monday evening at Rocket Arena; tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET.