Donovan Mitchell scores 45 points, Cavs hold off Pistons 128-121 in Darius Garland's return
CLEVELAND (AP) Donovan Mitchell scored 20 of his 45 points in the fourth quarter, Darius Garland had 19 points in his return from a broken jaw and the Cleveland Cavaliers held off the NBA-worst Detroit Pistons 128-121 on Wednesday night.
Jarrett Allen had 14 points and 11 rebounds for his franchise-record 16th straight double-double and Isaac Okoro added 14 points for the Cavaliers. Cleveland won for the 11th time in 12 games and has the best record in the league since Dec. 16 at 16-4.
“You marvel at what Donovan does when the game is on the line,” Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “We have a closer. Not a lot of teams can say that and it’s a huge advantage for us.”
Danilo Gallinari scored 20 points and went 4 of 4 on 3-pointers, and Cade Cunningham had 19 points and seven assists for the Pistons, who were seeking their first back-to-back wins since Oct. 27-28.
A seesaw fourth quarter saw Detroit take a 118-116 lead with 3:20 remaining on Jalen Duren’s layup. The Cavaliers answered with a 10-0 run, capped by four free throws by Mitchell, to complete their eighth consecutive win over the Pistons.
Mitchell matched his season high in scoring.
“We just didn’t execute with good coverage on Donovan, and that’s on me,” Detroit coach Monty Williams said. “This is the formula for us to win games, but we have to be much better. And that falls on me.”
Garland logged 20 minutes in his first action since Dec. 14, when he sustained the injury in a collision with Boston’s Kristaps Porzingis. The former All-Star was sidelined for 19 games, forcing Mitchell to slide over to point guard.
The Cavaliers, who are fourth in the East, had their projected starting lineup together for just the 12th time this season. Two days earlier against the Clippers, Evan Mobley returned from a 21-game absence after undergoing left knee surgery.
“It’s great to have DG and Evan back, that’s first and foremost,” Mitchell said. “The biggest thing now is to continue to figure it out. We have a deep, talented team and we’re continuing to build together.”
Cleveland went up 94-85 in the third, the largest lead by either team in a game that included 11 ties and 11 lead changes. Garland did not play in the final 7:30 because he's on a minutes restriction.
“It’s definitely been a long process with all the stuff I’ve been through in this last month,” Garland said. “Being back out there with the guys tonight was great.”
Jaden Ivey scored 14 points and Duren finished with 10 points and nine rebounds as Detroit had seven players score in double figures. Forward Mike Muscala left the game after four minutes with a head injury.
“Donovan Mitchell was tough and put a lot of pressure on us late,” Cunningham said. “He’s a really good player and he’s going to make plays.”
UP NEXT
Pistons: Host the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night.
Cavaliers: Visit Memphis on Thursday night.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Jalen Duren vs. Jarrett Allen (Evan Mobley gains possession) | ||
| 11:40 | | Max Strus misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:37 | | Evan Mobley offensive rebound | ||
| 11:37 | | Evan Mobley misses two point turnaround hook shot | ||
| 11:34 |  | Mike Muscala defensive rebound | ||
| 11:18 | | +2 | Cade Cunningham makes two point driving reverse layup | 2-0 |
| 11:09 | | +2 | Jarrett Allen makes two point cutting finger roll layup (Donovan Mitchell assists) | 2-2 |
| 11:09 | | Jalen Duren defensive goaltending violation | ||
| 10:50 | | Bojan Bogdanovic misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | ||
| 10:50 | | Evan Mobley defensive rebound | ||
| 10:41 | | Jarrett Allen misses two point dunk | ||
| 10:39 | | Jarrett Allen offensive rebound | ||
| 10:34 | | +2 | Evan Mobley makes two point cutting layup (Darius Garland assists) | 2-4 |
| 10:18 | | Bojan Bogdanovic misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 10:14 | | Donovan Mitchell defensive rebound | ||
| 10:07 | | Donovan Mitchell misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 10:05 | | Jarrett Allen offensive rebound | ||
| 9:59 | | Darius Garland misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:55 | | Cade Cunningham defensive rebound | ||
| 9:51 | | Mike Muscala misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 9:47 | | Jarrett Allen defensive rebound | ||
| 9:41 | | Mike Muscala personal foul (Evan Mobley draws the foul) | ||
| 9:29 | | Donovan Mitchell turnover (bad pass) (Jaden Ivey steals) | ||
| 9:25 | | Donovan Mitchell shooting foul (Bojan Bogdanovic draws the foul) | ||
| 9:25 | | Bojan Bogdanovic misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 9:25 | | Pistons offensive rebound | ||
| 9:25 | | +1 | Bojan Bogdanovic makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 3-4 |
| 9:08 | | +2 | Darius Garland makes two point pullup jump shot | 3-6 |
| 8:52 | | +2 | Jaden Ivey makes two point floating jump shot | 5-6 |
| 8:52 | | Darius Garland shooting foul (Jaden Ivey draws the foul) | ||
| 8:52 | | +1 | Jaden Ivey makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 6-6 |
| 8:41 | | Darius Garland misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:38 | | Jalen Duren defensive rebound | ||
| 8:33 | | +3 | Mike Muscala makes three point jump shot (Jaden Ivey assists) | 9-6 |
| 8:20 | | +2 | Evan Mobley makes two point turnaround hook shot (Donovan Mitchell assists) | 9-8 |
| 8:06 | | +3 | Bojan Bogdanovic makes three point jump shot (Jaden Ivey assists) | 12-8 |
| 7:46 | | +3 | Darius Garland makes three point pullup jump shot (Donovan Mitchell assists) | 12-11 |
| 7:46 | | Cade Cunningham shooting foul (Darius Garland draws the foul) | ||
| 7:46 | | +1 | Darius Garland makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 12-12 |
| 7:29 | | +3 | Jaden Ivey makes three point jump shot (Cade Cunningham assists) | 15-12 |
| 7:17 | | +3 | Donovan Mitchell makes three point pullup jump shot (Max Strus assists) | 15-15 |
| 7:13 | | Jalen Duren turnover (bad pass) (Darius Garland steals) | ||
| 7:11 | | +2 | Darius Garland makes two point layup | 15-17 |
| 6:51 | | Bojan Bogdanovic misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | ||
| 6:46 | | Jalen Duren offensive rebound | ||
| 6:46 | | Jalen Duren misses two point tip layup | ||
| 6:45 | | Dean Wade defensive rebound | ||
| 6:37 | | Donovan Mitchell misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:37 | | Jalen Duren defensive rebound | ||
| 6:27 | | Cade Cunningham misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:25 | | Jarrett Allen defensive rebound | ||
| 6:15 | | Kevin Knox II shooting foul (Donovan Mitchell draws the foul) | ||
| 6:15 | | Cavaliers 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:15 | | Donovan Mitchell misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 6:15 | | Cavaliers offensive rebound | ||
| 6:15 | | +1 | Donovan Mitchell makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 15-18 |
| 5:57 | | Bojan Bogdanovic turnover (bad pass) (Jarrett Allen steals) | ||
| 5:50 | | +3 | Donovan Mitchell makes three point jump shot (Caris LeVert assists) | 15-21 |
| 5:30 | | Jaden Ivey turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | ||
| 5:18 | | Donovan Mitchell misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 5:14 | | Isaac Okoro offensive rebound | ||
| 5:01 | | Caris LeVert turnover (bad pass) (Bojan Bogdanovic steals) | ||
| 4:57 | | Donovan Mitchell blocks Kevin Knox II's two point running layup | ||
| 4:57 | | Pistons offensive rebound | ||
| 4:54 | | Jarrett Allen blocks Kevin Knox II's two point cutting layup | ||
| 4:52 | | Kevin Knox II offensive rebound | ||
| 4:43 | | Cade Cunningham misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 4:40 | | Jarrett Allen defensive rebound | ||
| 4:29 | | Caris LeVert turnover (bad pass) (Cade Cunningham steals) | ||
| 4:22 | | Kevin Knox II misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 4:19 | | Jarrett Allen defensive rebound | ||
| 4:10 | | Donovan Mitchell misses two point driving bank hook shot | ||
| 4:05 | | Kevin Knox II defensive rebound | ||
| 4:00 | | Jalen Duren turnover (bad pass) (Donovan Mitchell steals) | ||
| 3:55 | | +2 | Donovan Mitchell makes two point running layup | 15-23 |
| 3:34 | | Cade Cunningham misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | ||
| 3:33 | | Jalen Duren offensive rebound | ||
| 3:28 | | +2 | Jalen Duren makes two point tip layup | 17-23 |
| 3:07 | | Dean Wade misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:07 | | Pistons defensive rebound | ||
| 2:53 | | Alec Burks misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 2:48 | | Max Strus defensive rebound | ||
| 2:44 | | Max Strus turnover (bad pass) (Ausar Thompson steals) | ||
| 2:40 | | +2 | Kevin Knox II makes two point running dunk (Alec Burks assists) | 19-23 |
| 2:22 | | Evan Mobley misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 2:20 | | Monte Morris defensive rebound | ||
| 2:07 | | +2 | Danilo Gallinari makes two point cutting finger roll layup (Monte Morris assists) | 21-23 |
| 1:51 | | Caris LeVert misses two point driving layup | ||
| 1:47 | | Ausar Thompson defensive rebound | ||
| 1:34 | | Monte Morris misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:30 | | Max Strus defensive rebound | ||
| 1:24 | | +2 | Isaac Okoro makes two point running layup (Georges Niang assists) | 21-25 |
| 1:11 | | Pistons 60 second timeout | ||
| 0:59 | | Danilo Gallinari misses two point turnaround bank jump shot | ||
| 0:56 | | Evan Mobley defensive rebound | ||
| 0:40 | | Evan Mobley misses two point driving layup | ||
| 0:38 | | Danilo Gallinari defensive rebound | ||
| 0:35 | | Alec Burks turnover (lost ball) (Isaac Okoro steals) | ||
| 0:29 | | +2 | Isaac Okoro makes two point running layup (Evan Mobley assists) | 21-27 |
| 0:15 | | +2 | Monte Morris makes two point pullup jump shot | 23-27 |
| 0:02 | | +3 | Caris LeVert makes three point stepback jump shot | 23-30 |
| 0:00 | | Ausar Thompson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:00 | | Pistons offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:44 | | +3 | Danilo Gallinari makes three point jump shot (Alec Burks assists) | 26-30 |
| 11:28 | | +2 | Georges Niang makes two point driving layup (Darius Garland assists) | 26-32 |
| 11:20 | | Ausar Thompson turnover (lost ball) (Evan Mobley steals) | ||
| 11:15 | | Darius Garland turnover (bad pass) (Danilo Gallinari steals) | ||
| 11:12 | | Alec Burks turnover (bad pass) (Sam Merrill steals) | ||
| 10:58 | | +2 | Darius Garland makes two point driving layup (Caris LeVert assists) | 26-34 |
| 10:38 | | +2 | Alec Burks makes two point driving finger roll layup (Ausar Thompson assists) | 28-34 |
| 10:27 | | Darius Garland misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:24 | | Ausar Thompson defensive rebound | ||
| 10:19 | | +2 | Monte Morris makes two point running layup (Ausar Thompson assists) | 30-34 |
| 9:53 | | Darius Garland misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 9:50 | | Monte Morris defensive rebound | ||
| 9:37 | | Evan Mobley personal foul (Danilo Gallinari draws the foul) | ||
| 9:27 | | +2 | Ausar Thompson makes two point cutting layup (Marcus Sasser assists) | 32-34 |
| 9:09 | | Caris LeVert misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:08 | | Cavaliers offensive rebound | ||
| 9:05 | | +3 | Sam Merrill makes three point jump shot (Caris LeVert assists) | 32-37 |
| 8:42 | | +2 | Alec Burks makes two point floating jump shot (Marcus Sasser assists) | 34-37 |
| 8:26 | | +2 | Georges Niang makes two point turnaround bank jump shot | 34-39 |
| 8:08 | | +3 | Danilo Gallinari makes three point jump shot (Marcus Sasser assists) | 37-39 |
| 7:53 | | Caris LeVert misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:50 | | Danilo Gallinari defensive rebound | ||
| 7:42 | | +3 | Marcus Sasser makes three point stepback jump shot | 40-39 |
| 7:20 | | +2 | Darius Garland makes two point driving layup | 40-41 |
| 7:04 | | +3 | Danilo Gallinari makes three point jump shot (Monte Morris assists) | 43-41 |
| 6:55 | | Alec Burks shooting foul (Evan Mobley draws the foul) | ||
| 6:55 | | Cavaliers 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:55 | | +1 | Evan Mobley makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 43-42 |
| 6:55 | | +1 | Evan Mobley makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 43-43 |
| 6:31 | | +2 | Jaden Ivey makes two point driving floating bank jump shot | 45-43 |
| 6:10 | | +3 | Sam Merrill makes three point jump shot (Evan Mobley assists) | 45-46 |
| 5:48 | | Jaden Ivey turnover (bad pass) (Isaac Okoro steals) | ||
| 5:41 | | Jaden Ivey blocks Isaac Okoro's two point running layup | ||
| 5:41 | | Cavaliers offensive rebound | ||
| 5:23 | | Cade Cunningham shooting foul (Donovan Mitchell draws the foul) | ||
| 5:23 | | +1 | Donovan Mitchell makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 45-47 |
| 5:23 | | +1 | Donovan Mitchell makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 45-48 |
| 5:12 | | Jaden Ivey misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:08 | | Georges Niang defensive rebound | ||
| 5:01 | | +3 | Sam Merrill makes three point running jump shot (Georges Niang assists) | 45-51 |
| 4:50 | | +2 | Jalen Duren makes two point layup | 47-51 |
| 4:33 | | Sam Merrill misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:31 | | Jarrett Allen offensive rebound | ||
| 4:30 | | Jarrett Allen turnover (lost ball) (Jaden Ivey steals) | ||
| 4:17 | | Marcus Sasser misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 4:12 | | Sam Merrill defensive rebound | ||
| 4:06 | | +2 | Jarrett Allen makes two point layup (Sam Merrill assists) | 47-53 |
| 3:52 | | Jaden Ivey turnover (bad pass) (Donovan Mitchell steals) | ||
| 3:49 | | +2 | Isaac Okoro makes two point running layup (Georges Niang assists) | 47-55 |
| 3:49 | | Jaden Ivey defensive goaltending violation | ||
| 3:49 | | Pistons 60 second timeout | ||
| 3:25 | | +2 | Bojan Bogdanovic makes two point fadeaway jump shot | 49-55 |
| 3:11 | | Marcus Sasser personal foul (Sam Merrill draws the foul) | ||
| 3:01 | | Alec Burks blocks Max Strus's two point driving layup | ||
| 2:57 | | Jarrett Allen offensive rebound | ||
| 2:56 | | +2 | Jarrett Allen makes two point turnaround hook shot | 49-57 |
| 2:44 | | +2 | Jalen Duren makes two point alley-oop dunk (Cade Cunningham assists) | 51-57 |
| 2:31 | | +3 | Donovan Mitchell makes three point stepback jump shot | 51-60 |
| 2:17 | | Cade Cunningham misses two point driving layup | ||
| 2:15 | | Sam Merrill defensive rebound | ||
| 2:09 | | Max Strus turnover (back court violation) | ||
| 1:52 | | +2 | Cade Cunningham makes two point pullup jump shot | 53-60 |
| 1:35 | | Donovan Mitchell misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 1:33 | | Jaden Ivey defensive rebound | ||
| 1:31 | | +2 | Jaden Ivey makes two point running dunk | 55-60 |
| 1:18 | | +2 | Sam Merrill makes two point cutting layup (Donovan Mitchell assists) | 55-62 |
| 0:52 | | Pistons turnover (shot clock violation) | ||
| 0:39 | | +2 | Donovan Mitchell makes two point driving layup | 55-64 |
| 0:29 | | +2 | Cade Cunningham makes two point fadeaway jump shot | 57-64 |
| 0:08 | | Sam Merrill misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 0:08 | | Jarrett Allen offensive rebound | ||
| 0:05 | | Jarrett Allen misses two point hook shot | ||
| 0:04 | | Pistons defensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | Cade Cunningham misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 0:00 | | Pistons offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |