Cavs star Donovan Mitchell accomplished a feat that only Michael Jordan achieved in any Game 1 of the NBA Playoffs.
In 33 minutes of action of Game 1 against the Indiana Pacers, Mitchell finished with a stat line of 33 points, five rebounds, four assists, and a steal. He shot 13-of-30 from the field and 6-of-9 from the free-throw line throughout Sunday evening.
Mitchell has been diligent in making sure he comes out strong on the scoring front, especially in Game 1. With this latest outing, he scored 30 or more points in any Game 1 for the eighth consecutive game. He broke Jordan’s record of seven straight in the process.
How Donovan Mitchell, Cavs played against Pacers
Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Despite Donovan Mitchell’s historic efforts of surpassing Michael Jordan, the Cavs were unable to protect homecourt as they lost Game 1 of the East Semifinals to the Indiana Pacers.
Mitchell had a rough night shooting the ball from beyond the arc, only converting one of his 11 attempts. This ended up limiting Cleveland’s overall production, making just 23.7% of their attempts from downtown. They also missed Darius Garland’s presence, who was out due to a toe injury.
Indiana landed the first blow, taking a 36-25 lead after the first quarter. The Cavs had solid responses, taking the next two quarters by nine points. However, the Pacers went on a key run down the stretch to secure the win and stun the hosts.
Five players scored in double-digits on Cleveland’s behalf, including Mitchell. Ty Jerome put up 21 points and eight assists off the bench. He shot 8-of-20 overall, including 1-of-4 from three. Evan Mobley followed suit with 20 points and 10 rebounds, Jarrett Allen had 12 points and five rebounds, while De’Andre Hunter provided 11 points and four rebounds.
The Cavs will look to bounce back by evening up the series at one apiece. They host Game 2 against the Pacers on May 6 at 7 p.m. ET.
