The Cleveland Cavaliers can’t be stopped. The Cavs extended their scorching streak to start the 2024-25 NBA regular season with a 128-114 win over LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Sunday. With that victory, Cleveland has improved to 15-0 and retained its status as the only undefeated team standing in this campaign.
The streak likely would not have been possible for the Cavs without the huge performances of the pair of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland this season. Although Mitchell was not able to suit up against the Hornets for rest purposes, he still managed to make history with Garland on Sunday.
“Donovan Mitchell & Darius Garland are the first duo in NBA history to each average 20+ PPG in a 15-0 start to a season,” shared StatMamba on X (formerly Twitter).
With Mitchell not in uniform, Garland helped make sure that the Cavs would survive his teammate’s absence, as he paced Cleveland with 25 points on 7-for-16 shooting from the field. he also had 12 assists and five rebounds in 30 minutes of action on the floor. Meanwhile, Ty Jerome got the start in lieu of Mitchell and did not disappoint. The former Virginia Cavaliers star generated a total of 24 points on 9-for-15 shooting from the floor with eight assists and two rebounds in 32 minutes.
Also contributing a lot to the Cavs’ success against the Hornets was big man Evan Mobley, who came away with a double-double of 23 points and 11 rebounds plus a block in 34 minutes.
So far in the 2024-25 NBA campaign, Mitchell is averaging 24.6 points on 46.9 field goal percentage, while Garland is putting up 21.1 points on 53.1 percent shooting from the floor. The Cavs’ backcourt of Mitchell and Garland has proven to be so dangerous this season and should continue to enjoy heavy usage.
Cavs have a big test ahead
Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
A well-rested Mitchell should be back in the lineup for the Cavaliers in time for a huge matchup up next against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden in Beantown this coming Tuesday. The reigning NBA champions would be a tough test for Cleveland — and vice versa. That will also be a chance for the Cavaliers to score some measure of revenge on the team that eliminated them in the second round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
