CLEVELAND (Interstat) — Donovan Mitchell scored 43 points, tying an NBA playoff record with 39 in the second half, and the Cleveland Cavaliers evened their second-round series against the Detroit Pistons with a 112-103 victory Monday night at Rocket Arena before a crowd of 19,432.

Mitchell matched the mark set by Sleepy Floyd in 1987 on a free throw with 27.6 seconds remaining. He had a chance to break the record but missed the second foul shot. His eruption included 15 points during Cleveland’s 24-0 run that began with 12 seconds left in the first half and extended through the first six minutes of the third quarter.

Detroit led 56-52 at halftime after a competitive first half that featured 10 lead changes. The Pistons held a slim advantage behind balanced scoring from Caris LeVert, Cade Cunningham and Tobias Harris. But the Cavaliers seized control with a devastating third-quarter surge.

Mitchell sparked the run with a driving floater with 11:20 left in the third, then followed with a three-pointer from the left wing to put Cleveland ahead 60-56. James Harden added a three-pointer from the right side and Jarrett Allen converted a layup off a Harden feed. Mitchell drilled another three from the top of the key and then a step-back jumper from 21 feet, pushing the lead to 70-56. By the time Harden buried another three from the left corner with 8:16 left in the quarter, Cleveland had scored 24 consecutive points and led 68-56.

Detroit managed just six points in the first 9:40 of the third quarter, shooting 2 for 11 from the floor and committing five turnovers during Cleveland’s onslaught. The Cavaliers outscored the Pistons 38-21 in the third quarter, turning a four-point deficit into a 90-77 lead entering the fourth.

The Pistons fought back in the final period, trimming the deficit to 100-100 on a Cade Cunningham jumper with 6:56 left. But Mitchell answered each Detroit rally. He made two free throws with 5:53 remaining, then hit a step-back three from the right wing with 5:19 left to push the lead to 105-100. After LeVert scored to cut it to three, Mitchell floated in a six-footer to make it 107-102.

Detroit again pulled within three on a pair of Tobias Harris free throws with 4:22 left, but Mitchell drew a foul and made two free throws with 2:48 remaining. Evan Mobley’s put-back dunk with 42.7 seconds left gave Cleveland a 111-109 lead, and Mitchell’s free throw with 27.5 seconds left provided the final margin.

Mitchell scored 43 points on 13-for-27 shooting, including 5 for 11 from three-point range, and made 12 of 14 free throws. He added five rebounds and two assists in 37 minutes. Harden finished with 24 points and 11 assists, making 7 of 13 field goals and 9 of 10 free throws. Mobley contributed 17 points, eight rebounds, five assists and five blocks, anchoring a Cleveland defense that blocked eight shots.

Cleveland shot 34 of 78 from the floor for 43.6 percent and 14 of 41 from three-point range. The Cavaliers dominated the free-throw line, making 30 of 34 attempts while Detroit attempted only 12, making nine.

Detroit shot 42 of 83 from the field for 50.6 percent and 10 of 23 from beyond the arc. LeVert led the Pistons with 24 points on 10-for-17 shooting, including 4 of 6 from three. Cunningham had 19 points, three rebounds and six assists. Harris added 16 points and eight rebounds. Paul Reed provided a spark off the bench with 15 points and four rebounds in 14 minutes.

The Pistons committed 18 turnovers to Cleveland’s 11, and the Cavaliers turned those into 22 points. Cleveland also held a 12-11 edge in offensive rebounds and a 12-10 advantage in assists. The Cavaliers recorded 12 steals, led by Harden with three, and blocked eight shots, with Mobley accounting for five.

The game marked the fourth meeting of the second-round series, which is now tied 2-2. Detroit had won Games 2 and 3 after dropping Game 1. The top-seeded Pistons entered the night with a 66-27 regular-season record, while the fourth-seeded Cavaliers were 58-35.

Mitchell’s 43-point performance continued a strong series. He scored 35 points in Cleveland’s Game 1 win, 31 in Game 2 and 23 in Game 3. His 39 second-half points tied Floyd’s record set in 1987 against the Los Angeles Lakers. Mitchell had 15 points in the third quarter and 24 in the fourth.

The game’s decisive stretch came when Cleveland turned a 56-52 halftime deficit into a 76-56 lead with 6:14 left in the third. Detroit managed only one field goal in the first 8:16 of the third quarter, a Paul Reed dunk with 5:57 remaining, by which time Cleveland’s lead had grown to 75-58.

Detroit’s inability to contain Mitchell in the second half proved fatal. He scored or assisted on 10 of Cleveland’s 17 field goals after halftime. The Pistons’ defense, which had held Cleveland to 31 points in the second quarter, had no answer for Mitchell’s pick-and-roll game and step-back jumpers.

Cleveland’s defense also stepped up, forcing Detroit into difficult shots and converting turnovers into points. The Cavaliers scored 16 points off Detroit’s 10 second-half turnovers.

The Cavaliers’ free-throw advantage was critical. Cleveland attempted 22 free throws in the second half alone, making 19, while Detroit attempted only seven, making six. The disparity reflected Cleveland’s aggressive drives and Detroit’s fouling, as the Pistons committed 27 personal fouls to Cleveland’s 15.

Detroit’s reserves contributed 25 points, led by Reed’s 15. But the Pistons’ starters struggled from beyond the arc, making only 6 of 16 three-point attempts, while LeVert supplied four of the team’s 10 triples.

Cleveland’s bench chipped in 15 points, with Dennis Schroder scoring seven and Sam Merrill adding six.

The series now shifts to Detroit for Game 5 on Wednesday, followed by Game 6 in Cleveland on Friday and a potential Game 7 in Detroit on Sunday.

Interstat’s game simulator projected a final score of Cleveland 117, Detroit 109. Interstat’s ELO system gave Detroit a 50.4 percent probability to win. Cleveland was installed as the pregame favorite with a spread of minus 3.5. The total score of 215 went under the over-under line of 212.5.