Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell recalled his teammates watching the scuffle between him and Memphis Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks on a laptop, BasketballNews.com Editor Spencer Davies wrote in a Friday tweet.
“I love my guys,” Mitchell said. “They were watching it on the laptop. I’m trying to be all serious and whatnot, and they’re out there just saying ‘look who’s here.’ It was Robin Lopez who was the instigator, which was the funniest part about the whole thing. Watching it, telling everybody, pulling everybody over, trying to show everybody on the computer.
“Like I said, I love my guys. They held it down for me.”
Donovan Mitchell put in just enough pressure on a driving layup from Brooks for Cavs forward Evan Mobley to tip. Brooks rolled on the ground and threw his arm back, striking Mitchell in the groin area before trying to get up from the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse court.
Cavs guard Darius Garland added a completely different perspective.
“I wasn’t even over there,” Garland said. “I was still in the scuffle. I walked back and asked all our guys that were still in there ‘Where’s Don?’ He was just chilling on the bench watching the film. Like ‘oh, ok, I guess we’re straight now.’
“I was still in there. I had to look out for my guy.”
Donovan Mitchell backed his teammate up during the postgame press conference.
“We got a talented group,” Mitchell said. “We all felt Darius should have been an All-Star. He went out there and proved it tonight on a national stage. I think the biggest thing is we just find a way to win. We use that to our advantage to continue to compete. That’s not a bad team over there, they’re a really talented group.
“But at the end of the day, I’m probably going to get back out there and they’re going to start yelling and screaming like they always do. That’s why I say I love my guys and am appreciative of them.”
