Caris LeVert had no love for his former teammate Donovan Mitchell this week.
LeVert and the Detroit Pistons played Monday against Mitchell and the Cavaliers in Game 4 of their second-round playoff series. In the final seconds of the first quarter at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, LeVert got disrespectful with Mitchell.
The 29-year-old Mitchell was winding down the clock for the last shot and tried to get past his defender LeVert off the dribble. LeVert stuck to Mitchell like Krazy Glue though and did not let him through, even poking the ball out of bounds.
After getting the deflection, LeVert decided to mean-mug Mitchell for emphasis. Here is the video.
Caris LeVert is locked in on defense
— NBA (@NBA) May 12, 2026
Pistons have the lead in Q2 of Game 4! pic.twitter.com/MBMZH53QUh
It is not often that you see a staredown like that after a defensive play (other than an emphatic block). But the 31-year-old LeVert, who was teammates with Mitchell on the Cavs from 2022-25, certainly deserved his moment there.
Mitchell finished the first quarter scoreless on 0/4 shooting and went into halftime with an overall line of just four points on 1/8 shooting. LeVert’s defense was a big part of why Mitchell was so unproductive in the first half, and he obviously fared much better against Mitchell than Pistons teammate Tobias Harris did earlier on in the series.
