Cleveland was down at the half in Game 4 and on the verge of going home in a 3-1 hole. Then Mitchell dropped 39 points in the second half — tying Sleepy Floyd's 1987 playoff record — and Cleveland ripped off a 24-0 run to even the series at 2-2. Now everyone reconvenes at Little Caesars with the whole thing reset to a best-of-3.
The catch for Cleveland: they have not won a road game in this entire postseason. 0-5 away from Rocket Arena. So as much as Mitchell's eruption felt like a series-tilting moment, the Cavs still have to do something on the road they have not done once in May. Detroit, meanwhile, is back home where Cade Cunningham has been averaging 31.8 points and 8.2 assists on 50% shooting through six home playoff games.
Cunningham was held under 20 for the first time in 11 playoff games on Monday, with 19. He is not staying that quiet in front of his own crowd. The bigger question for Detroit is whether they can keep Mitchell out of those scorched-earth stretches — the third quarter alone in Game 4 was a 21-point Mitchell solo act. You cannot trade buckets with him when he is in that gear.
- Day-To-DayCaris LeVert G — LeVert (heel) is listed as questionable for Wednesday's Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Cavaliers.
- Day-To-DayDuncan Robinson F — Robinson (back) is questionable for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Wednesday versus Cleveland.
- OutKevin Huerter G — Huerter (adductor) is listed as questionable for Wednesday's Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Cavaliers.
Detroit's wing depth is the storyline under the storyline. Kevin Huerter is already ruled out with the adductor, and both Caris LeVert (heel) and Duncan Robinson (back) are questionable. LeVert was the Pistons' leading scorer in Game 4 with 24. If he and Robinson can't go, the bench shooting that has propped up Detroit's halfcourt offense disappears fast — and Cunningham ends up trying to drag a thinner roster across the line.
Pinnacle has Detroit -4 with an implied fair price of 61% on the moneyline, which feels about right for a top seed at home with the series tied. The market is essentially saying: home court matters, but Cleveland is alive and Mitchell is the best player on the floor right now. If you trust Cade's home splits and the Pistons' wings to suit up, lay the points. If you think Mitchell just flipped the series, +151 on the road dog is the play.