Player Grades: Cavs vs Pistons Game 6 – Donovan Mitchell has to step up

The Cleveland Cavaliers couldn’t close out their series with the Detroit Pistons. Now everything is on the line Sunday night.

All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.

Donovan Mitchell

18 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers

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The Cavs are waiting for Mitchell to be a superhero again. He took a giant step backwards in the last two games, struggling in Game 5 and bringing that into tonight. He couldn’t find any luck inside the arch, shooting 4-14 on two-point attempts and opting for difficult floaters instead of drawing contact to get to the line.

Mitchell had 3 assists and 3 turnovers tonight. His assists per game have been cut in half since the regular season, and he’s yet to even hit that average in a single playoff game. That’s not sustainable for long-term success.

Grade: F

James Harden

23 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, 8 turnovers

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Harden’s isolation scoring and foul-drawing have gone a long way to ensuring the Cavs never fully let go of the rope. He’s stabilized them throughout the postseason, even if his carelessness with the ball can contribute to some of their opponent’s runs.

The Cavs leaned on Harden in the third quarter. He repeatedly got to the line and put Cleveland in the bonus with five minutes remaining. That extra effort is the only reason the Cavs lost that quarter by 11 points instead of 20 or more.

Ultimately, this team wasn’t built for Harden to carry them. He’s supposed to be the cherry on top. Other players needed to step up.

Grade: D

Evan Mobley

18 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks

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Mobley will get dinged for the things he didn’t do tonight, but truthfully, he gave enough for them to win this game. His all-around impact was comparable to the previous two games, with Mobley contesting shots and racking up four stocks.

On offense, he was aggressive, going towards the basket and got to the line eight times. He only made half of his attempts from the charity stripe, so we can knock him for that. But most of the problems that plagued the Cavs tonight were not Mobley’s fault.

Grade: C+