Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell Explodes For 43, Scores 20+ For 300th Time
The Cleveland Cavaliers were without starting point guard Darius Garland and starting center Jarrett Allen due to a left hamstring issue and left ankle bone bruise, respectively, in their home opener Friday night.
These two were a pair of Cleveland’s top four scorers last season.
With these absences, shooting guard Donovan Mitchell stepped up with a powerful scoring performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The reigning NBA All-Star starter put up a game-high 43 points (15-27 FG, 4-11 3PT, 9-11 FT) in a game-high 42 minutes.
Oct 27, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) moves against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) in the first quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
© David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
He also tallied eight rebounds, along with team-highs of five assists, three steals, two blocks (tied) and five turnovers.
According to @CavsNotes on X, Mitchell’s scoring output was his 300th career regular season game with at least 20 points. It was also his 118th regular season contest with at least 30 points, and 23rd career instance of scoring at least 40 points.
It took some time for Mitchell to get into a rhythm from the perimeter. In the first half, he was just 1-for-6 from three, with Cleveland shooting just 3-for-22 (13.6%) from deep. Despite this setback, he was still able to post 17 points in the first 24 minutes.
Mitchell’s strongest impact came in the second half, as he scored 26 points in this span. The 27-year-old went 3-for-5 from downtown, converting nine of his 15 field goal attempts.
The Cavaliers’ team three-point shooting also greatly improved, as they went 9-for-23 (39.1%) from three in the final 24 minutes.
However, with the Cavaliers trailing by three with four seconds remaining, Mitchell had the ball stolen away, preventing him from potentially sending the game to overtime.
Cleveland will not have to wait long to avenge their first home defeat, as they will host the Indiana Pacers tonight at 7:30 PM.
