Donovan Mitchell’s Game 6 struggles continue as the Cavs star is shut down by the Pistons quarterback.

Donovan Mitchell has never missed the playoffs. He never finished the conference. That remained true Friday when the Detroit Pistons crushed the Cleveland Cavaliers, 115-94, in Game 6 of their second-round series to keep their season alive and force a Game 7 back in Detroit on Sunday.

Mitchell wasn’t the only Cavalier at fault Friday, but his lack of performance was a big reason why Cleveland lost at home for the first time in the playoffs, and highlighted not only his inconsistent play this postseason, but his Game 6 woes. Mitchell has now lost six consecutive Game 6s, including four close games, dating back to his time with the Jazz in the 2020 bubble.

In 37 minutes, Mitchell had as many shots as points and as many turnovers as assists, and the Cavaliers were outscored by 25 — the worst/minutes of anyone on the team. His final line: 18 points on 6 of 20 from the field, including 2 of 6 from 3-point range, four rebounds, three assists and three turnovers. It was the third time in 13 games he was held to less than 20 points and the third time he shot worse than 40%.

“I can’t focus on it, you know what I mean? I missed a shot tonight. I think some of them were tough shots that I could have been better at. [looks]? Of course. But I can say that about every game. I’m not here to look at the fact that I missed shots,” Mitchell told reporters. “It’s the power and impact of the game. Tonight I missed the shots. I’ve been doing a lot in all the games in this series and tonight I didn’t. I’m not worried about that. It’s more than anything else.”

“But yeah, we missed an opportunity,” Mitchell continued. “But there’s nothing we can do about it. We have to go out there and win on the road.”

Mitchell’s inconsistent series

Mitchell was all over the map in the first round against the Toronto Raptors, but let’s stick with this series against the Pistons. Here’s a look at Mitchell’s game-by-game numbers:

• Game 1: 23 points (9 of 19 FG, 4 of 10 3FG), four rebounds, two assists, three turnovers
• Game 2: 31 points (11 of 24 FG, 2 of 9 3FG), six rebounds, three assists, two turnovers
• Game 3: 35 points (13 of 24 FG, 2 of 8 3FG), 10 rebounds, four assists, three turnovers
• Game 4: 43 points (13 of 26 FG, 4 of 12 3FG), five rebounds, two assists, one turnover
• Game 5: 21 points (7 of 18 FG, 1 of 8 3FG), four rebounds, three assists, two turnovers
• Game 6: 18 points (6 of 20 FG, 2 of 6 3FG), four rebounds, three assists, three turnovers

Series ratings: 28.5 points (45% FG, 28.3% 3FG), 5.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.3 turnovers

Even within the games, Mitchell has been up and down. In Game 4, he had four points on 1-of-8 shooting in the first half and 39 points on 12-of-18 shooting in the second half.

Ausar Thompson, one of the best and most versatile linebackers in the league, deserves credit for his work in slowing down Mitchell. He has been covering him up all series and using his height, athleticism and physical strength to make Mitchell fight for everything, even catching the ball at times. Notably, during the first half of Game 6, Mitchell was called for a flagrant foul for trying to strip Thompson.

According to NBA tracking data, Thompson has guarded Mitchell on 117 possessions in the first five games of this series, and Mitchell scored 15 points on 4 of 19 shooting, including 1 of 11 from 3-point range, and turned the ball over three times. Tracking data can be wonky at times, but those numbers are solid.

Mitchell, unsurprisingly, said he is not bothered by Thompson, nor does he feel tired of dealing with the constant pressure. However, it is important to note that his last two shows have been the worst of the series. And, except for Game 4, he shot 32.4% in the fourth quarter, including 3 of 13 over the past two games.

Regardless of the lineup, Mitchell has struggled to finish the series and has been very cold from three-point range. Mitchell says he just misses shots, and there is some truth to that, but the Pistons’ physicality has been a real factor.

Mitchell’s Game 6 tragedy

Mitchell has now lost six Game 6s in a row, and although he was at fault for losing on Friday, it wasn’t. In fact, you are often a lucky loser. Notably, the Cavaliers lost Game 6 against the Magic in the first round in 2024 despite his 50-point effort, and they lost Game 6 to the Raptors earlier this season after hitting a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by RJ Barrett.

Let’s take a closer look at Mitchell’s Game 6 history.

The good news for Mitchell and the Cavs is that they still have another chance, and they already know this postseason with a Game 7.

How can Mitchell bounce back in Game 7?

Yes, Thompson has done a great job as the primary defender on Mitchell. Of course, Mitchell didn’t shoot the ball well even after looking clean. And yes, Mitchell’s inconsistency has been frustrating. But he has three 30-point games in this streak and remains one of the most talented scorers in the league.

It’s unlikely he can have a big night in Game 7 and lead the Cavaliers to victory, but it will take a concerted effort from him and the team — and maybe some help from the officials with how the play is called.

“Putting him in the open court where they can’t get their hands on him,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said, when asked how the team could move Mitchell. “There in the half court, clutch, catch, catch. We have to get him in space, in the open field — kick forward, kick across, all of that. But that was a logjam tonight. All of us, we had a hard time getting comfortable. At the end of the day, that’s on us. This is how we have to call the game.”

So far in the playoffs, the Cavaliers are 4-1 when Mitchell scores 30-plus points and 3-5 when he doesn’t. He will need to reach that number, and possibly more, for the Cavaliers to win Game 7 on the road and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2018.

“Everything you want is on the other side of the spectrum. Nothing good comes easy,” Mitchell said. “You have to look at it that way. We could sit here and focus on this and carry it into Sunday, but what would that do us?”