Harden’s clutch shots, Mitchell’s 35 lift Cavs past Pistons 116-109

Sunday, May 10, 2026Confirmed

Sports Desk

What we know

James Harden hit three late shots and Donovan Mitchell scored 35 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons 116-109 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, AP, NBA.com, ESPN and CBS Sports reported into Sunday.

Max Strus' steal and go-ahead layup with 2:28 left flipped the final lead change; Harden then added a jumper, floater and a step-back 3 with 25 seconds remaining to make it 113-109. Mitchell added 10 rebounds; Harden finished with 19 points and seven assists. Cade Cunningham had 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for Detroit, which saw its five-game playoff win streak end. Series: Pistons lead 2-1; Game 4 is Monday in Cleveland.

What's confirmed

AP: Harden's late takeover and Mitchell's 35-10 paced Cleveland's 116-109 win, cutting Detroit's series lead to 2-1 (AP).
NBA.com: Harden scored nine fourth-quarter points, including three makes in the final two minutes (NBA.com).
ESPN: Same final score and clutch sequence; Mitchell reached 2,000 career postseason points (ESPN).
CBS Sports: Recap confirms Mitchell 35, Harden 19 and Strus' steal-layup as the go-ahead play (CBS Sports).
NBA box: Official Game 3 result DET 109 @ CLE 116 on May 9 (NBA.com box score).

What's still developing

Whether Cleveland can even the series in Monday's Game 4 at home.
Detroit's adjustments after the home-court streak ended.
Minutes/load management for Mitchell and Harden across a long series.

Sources

AP — Harden hits clutch shots, Mitchell scores 35 and the Cavaliers beat the Pistons 116-109 in Game 3 link
AP — James Harden's late takeover sends Cavaliers to Game 3 win link
NBA.com — James Harden's late takeover fuels Cavaliers' Game 3 win link
ESPN — Cavaliers 116-109 Pistons Game 3 recap link
CBS Sports — Harden hits clutch shots, Mitchell scores 35 in Cavaliers' Game 3 win link
NBA.com — Pistons at Cavaliers Game 3 box score link