On Tuesday evening, Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers improved their record on the young 2023-24 NBA season to a solid 10-8 with a resounding home win over the Atlanta Hawks in a bit of NBA inaugural In Season Tournament Action. The Cavs actually trailed this one for a large chunk of the first half; however, Cleveland was able to put a run together toward the end of the second quarter that continued into the third, allowing them to pull away for a 128-105 final margin of victory over Atlanta.
Leading the Cavs in the scoring column against the Hawks was Donovan Mitchell, who scored 40 points to go along with 11 rebounds and five assists. In fact, in the process, Mitchell was able to make a bit of franchise history, as he joins Cavs legend and current Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James as the only two players in team history to have 15 or more 40 point scoring performances, per StatMuse on X. The fact that Mitchell has been able to reach that benchmark in the opening portion of just his second season with the team speaks volumes about what a dynamic scorer the former Utah Jazz star truly is.
The Cavs this season are looking to avenge what happened last year, when the team put together a strong regular season but then completely flamed out in an embarrassing first round exit at the hands of the New York Knicks in five games. Up next for the Cavs is a home game against the Portland Trail Blazers on November 30.