Donovan Mitchell’s first year with the Cleveland Cavaliers couldn’t go any better, at least from an individual standpoint. On Friday, he made history once again by achieving a franchise feat only done by LeBron James in the past.
In their narrow 119-115 loss to the Miami Heat, Mitchell erupted for 42 points, three rebounds, four assists and one steal. He went 15-of-30 from the floor, including going 8-of-15 from deep to keep the Cavs fighting until the final buzzer.
With his performance, Mitchell recorded his ninth 40-piece of the season. He is now only the second player after James to have as much 40-point games in team history, per NBA History.
It’s quite a bummer that the Cavs lost to the Heat, but despite that result, it doesn’t erase the fact that Donovan Mitchell has been great for Cleveland so far. He’s putting LeBron James-type numbers for the team, and Cleveland should definitely feel better about that.
The Wine and Gold are still in a good position in the East even after going 5-5 in their last 10 games. They are at 42-27 so far, putting them at no. 4 in the conference and well on track to make the postseason for the first time since LeBron left the squad in 2018. And with the way Mitchell is playing, the Cavs should love their chances about making a deep playoff run.
Cleveland has 13 games left in the season. Hopefully, we get to see more big games from Mitchell as the team tries to close the year in style.
