Cavs stay alive as Harden delivers in crunch time against Pistons
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James Harden answered questions about his postseason résumé with a late-game surge that carried the Cleveland Cavaliers past the Detroit Pistons on Saturday, preserving the club’s playoff hopes with a 110-103 Game 3 victory at Little Caesars Arena.
The 34-year-old guard, acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers in February, buried a step-back jumper with 1:46 left to push Cleveland’s lead to four, followed with a floater after a Cade Cunningham dunk, and capped the night by draining a contested three-pointer over Tobias Harris that effectively sealed the win.
“That’s the James we know,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said. “We were searching and he went to work.”
Cleveland had watched a 16-point halftime cushion disappear, setting up its third consecutive clutch scenario against the top-seeded Pistons. A loss would have created a 3-0 series hole and likely triggered significant offseason changes. Atkinson praised his veteran roster for weathering the third-quarter push. “They don’t get down,” he noted. “They kind of know that’s how this goes.”
Mitchell’s past friction with Bickerstaff resurfaces
The series has also rekindled attention on Donovan Mitchell’s reported frustration with former Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff two years ago. According to The Athletic, Mitchell grew impatient with Bickerstaff’s reluctance to lean on veterans and an offense that often devolved into isolation possessions for the All-Star guard. Mitchell, then negotiating a contract extension, chose not to leverage those talks to keep Bickerstaff in place, clearing the way for Detroit to hire him later.
Bench update
Shooting guard Sam Merrill returned after missing Game 2 with a mild left hamstring strain suffered in the opener. He logged 14 minutes off the bench and scored seven points.
Source: Hoops Rumors
