Cavs Top 3: Donovan Mitchell carries shorthanded Cleveland Cavaliers to win over the Detroit Pistons

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons were both shorthanded on Sunday night.

After a disastrous appearance against the Milwaukee Bucks, the Cleveland Cavaliers were able to figure things out a bit against the Detroit Pistons. Both teams were missing key players, with Cade Cunningham sitting out for the Pistons, and Caris LeVert and Kevin Love out for the Cavs.

The Cavs handled the Pistons earlier in the year without Darius Garland in the lineup, and against Cunningham, so many thought the Cavs would blow out the Pistons this time around but that wasn’t the case.

No, instead the Cavs didn’t see a lead until the fourth quarter, going down by 12 early on and battling back for the rest of the game. They did all this while shooting poorly from three. The team shot just 28.6% from behind the arc, and couldn’t figure out how to slow down the Pistons’ offense.

While Love and LeVert’s absence hurt the team offensively, Jarrett Allen was also out and that clearly gave the Pistons far more confidence to attack the paint than they would normally have. It was a game that may have been vastly different had the Cavs been at full strength, which is becoming an issue for the young squad, as it seems chunks of the roster are out at any given time.

The Cavs were able to mount yet another comeback, however, and finished off the Pistons 102-94 to get their 12th win of the year.

Cleveland Cavaliers top 3 vs. the Detroit Pistons

1 Point – Darius Garland

Neither of the Cavs’ two star guards was exceptionally efficient on Sunday. Garland shot just 21% from the floor and 0-5 from three. He did drop 19 points, however, and racked up 10 assists. Not an impressive night but every little bit was needed.

2 Points – Donovan Mitchell

Mitchell shot better than Garland, hitting 39% from the floor and 25% from three. He did have a game-high 32 points, however,

3 Points – Evan Mobley

Evan Mobley was exceptional, hitting 8-12 from the floor, 2-2 from three, and had 20 points and 13 rebounds. He also played solid defense, considering Allen was out for the game.

Cavs Top 3 Seasonal Standings

1. Donovan Mitchell – 35 Points
2. Darius Garland – 23 Points
3. Evan Mobley & Jarrett Allen – 13 Points
4. Cedi Osman – 12 Points
5. Kevin Love – 10 Points
6. Caris LeVert – 5 points
7. Isaac Okoro & Dean Wade – 3 Points