Donovan Mitchell’s brilliance has Cleveland Cavaliers fans spoiled and his Cavs teammates in awe. Take for example Darius Garland, who was left buzzing about yet another offensive onslaught from Mitchell, who scored 40 points on 14-for-25 shooting from the field in Cleveland’s 115-105 home win against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.
“It’s legendary,” Garland said of Donovan Mitchell setting not just one but two new franchise records in the Indiana game, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “It’s a bucket. It just shows the work that he puts in and the ability to go out and do it at a high level for a stretch like that. I’m super proud of him. I want him to be more aggressive, want him to get to 40-and 50-balls, whatever it takes to win the game.”
With his scoring barrage against the Pacers, Donovan Mitchell now owns the most 40-point performances in a season by a Cavs player with 12, breaking his tie with LeBron James. In addition to that, Mitchell became the first Cleveland player to record three consecutive 40-point outings in the regular season.
Before facing the Pacers, Mitchell scored 44 and 42 points against the Atlanta Hawks and the New York Knicks, respectively. Both those games ended with the Cavs losing, though.
On the season, Donovan Mitchell is averaging 28.0 points on 48.2 percent shooting from the field, 38.3 percent from behind the arc, and 86.6 percent from the free-throw line. With Mitchell as the focal point, the Cavs have managed to secure a playoff berth for the first time since LeBron left Cleveland the second time.