Donovan Mitchell led from the front as the Cleveland Cavaliers bagged their 60th win of the NBA season with a 127-122 victory over the in-form Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.
Cleveland talisman <a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/donovan-mitchell">Donovan Mitchell</a> finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in what Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson described as his best performance of the season.
Sunday's victory means Cleveland have reached 60 wins in a season for the first time since the 2009-2010 campaign, and for only the third time in franchise history.&nbsp;More significantly, the win leaves Cleveland 4.5 games clear of NBA champions Boston in the race for the No.1 seeding in the Eastern Conference playoffs with just seven regular season fixtures remaining.
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Atkinson said reaching 60 wins was beyond his expectations at the start of the campaign following a 48-victory season in 2023-2024.
"I didn't expect 60 wins," Atkinson said. "My internal goal was 'Can we improve from last year?' That was kind of where my mind was.
"But for this team to take it to another level and kind of shatter that, says a lot. And we're not done -- we can still add to that.&nbsp;"But we've got to celebrate this. It's not the end goal, but we should take a deep breath and celebrate 60 wins.
"It's so hard to do in this league. I'm really happy for the guys today."&nbsp;Mitchell received offensive support from Jarrett Allen with 25 points, while Evan Mobley added 22 and Darius Garland 19.
<h2>'Best game' of season</h2>
But Atkinson reserved special praise for Mitchell, who was immense at both ends of the court, with four steals in addition to his points tally.&nbsp;"He's at that kind of maturity and mental level where he can manipulate the game how he wants it," Atkinson said of the 28-year-old six-time NBA All-Star. "I would argue that this was probably his best all around game all year."
The defeat left the Clippers in eighth position in the Western Conference, where they are locked in a ferocious dog-fight with the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/golden-state-warriors">Golden State Warriors</a> and Minnesota Timberwolves for an automatic ticket into the playoffs.
The Clippers are on 42-32, just behind Golden State and Minnesota, who both won on Sunday.&nbsp;The top six teams in the Western Conference advance to the playoffs while teams ranked from seventh to 10th play a mini-tournament to determine the final two playoff slots.
The Warriors boosted their chances of claiming an automatic berth after thrashing the San Antonio Spurs 148-106 on the road in Texas to remain in sixth place.
The Timberwolves are in seventh after a stormy 123-104 win over the Detroit Pistons. The game was notable for a brawl in the second quarter which saw seven players and two coaches -- including Detroit head coach J.B. Bickerstaff -- ejected.
The&nbsp;Phoenix&nbsp;Suns' hopes of making the West play-in took a blow with a 148-109 loss to the Houston Rockets -- and the loss of superstar <a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/kevin-durant">Kevin Durant</a> with an ankle injury in the third quarter.
Durant stepped on the foot of Houston's Jabari Smith Jr. on a drive to the basket and rolled his left ankle, dropping to the court in pain. He was helped to the sideline and didn't return.
The Rockets, second in the West, were already up 92-57, unfazed by the second-quarter ejection of Dillon Brooks after he fouled Durant and wouldn't let go, then berated a game official in the wake of the scuffle.
Jalen Green poured in 33 points to lead eight Houston players to score in double figures while Devin Booker scored 28 to lead the Phoenix Suns.
In the Eastern Conference, the Atlanta Hawks dominated the Milwaukee Bucks 145-124 to improve to 36-38, with Zaccharie Risacher scoring a game-high 36 points.
At Madison Square Garden the third-placed New York Knicks outlasted the Portland Trail Blazers 110-93.
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NBA, Sports: Cleveland talisman Mitchell finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists in what Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson described as his best performance of season

Donovan Mitchell led from the front as the Cleveland Cavaliers bagged their 60th win of the NBA season with a 127-122 victory over the in-form Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday. Cleveland talisman Donovan Mitchell finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in what Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson described as his best performance of the season. Sunday's victory means Cleveland have reached 60 wins in a season for the first time since the 2009-2010 campaign, and for only the third time in franchise history. More significantly, the win leaves Cleveland 4.5 games clear of NBA champions Boston in the race for the No.1 seeding in the Eastern Conference playoffs with just seven regular season fixtures remaining. Also Read: Miami Open: Djokovic falls short of 100th career title as Czech teenager Jakub Mensik lifts title Atkinson said reaching 60 wins was beyond his expectations at the start of the campaign following a 48-victory season in 2023-2024. "I didn't expect 60 wins," Atkinson said. "My internal goal was 'Can we improve from last year?' That was kind of where my mind was. "But for this team to take it to another level and kind of shatter that, says a lot. And we're not done -- we can still add to that. "But we've got to celebrate this. It's not the end goal, but we should take a deep breath and celebrate 60 wins. "It's so hard to do in this league. I'm really happy for the guys today." Mitchell received offensive support from Jarrett Allen with 25 points, while Evan Mobley added 22 and Darius Garland 19. 'Best game' of season But Atkinson reserved special praise for Mitchell, who was immense at both ends of the court, with four steals in addition to his points tally. "He's at that kind of maturity and mental level where he can manipulate the game how he wants it," Atkinson said of the 28-year-old six-time NBA All-Star. "I would argue that this was probably his best all around game all year." The defeat left the Clippers in eighth position in the Western Conference, where they are locked in a ferocious dog-fight with the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves for an automatic ticket into the playoffs. The Clippers are on 42-32, just behind Golden State and Minnesota, who both won on Sunday. The top six teams in the Western Conference advance to the playoffs while teams ranked from seventh to 10th play a mini-tournament to determine the final two playoff slots. The Warriors boosted their chances of claiming an automatic berth after thrashing the San Antonio Spurs 148-106 on the road in Texas to remain in sixth place. The Timberwolves are in seventh after a stormy 123-104 win over the Detroit Pistons. The game was notable for a brawl in the second quarter which saw seven players and two coaches -- including Detroit head coach J.B. Bickerstaff -- ejected. The Phoenix Suns' hopes of making the West play-in took a blow with a 148-109 loss to the Houston Rockets -- and the loss of superstar Kevin Durant with an ankle injury in the third quarter. Durant stepped on the foot of Houston's Jabari Smith Jr. on a drive to the basket and rolled his left ankle, dropping to the court in pain. He was helped to the sideline and didn't return. The Rockets, second in the West, were already up 92-57, unfazed by the second-quarter ejection of Dillon Brooks after he fouled Durant and wouldn't let go, then berated a game official in the wake of the scuffle. Jalen Green poured in 33 points to lead eight Houston players to score in double figures while Devin Booker scored 28 to lead the Phoenix Suns. In the Eastern Conference, the Atlanta Hawks dominated the Milwaukee Bucks 145-124 to improve to 36-38, with Zaccharie Risacher scoring a game-high 36 points. At Madison Square Garden the third-placed New York Knicks outlasted the Portland Trail Blazers 110-93. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

NBA: Mitchell steals show as Cavs beat Clippers, double blow for Suns as Durant gets injured amid loss to Rockets

Donovan Mitchell scored 35 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers avenged a heartbreaking loss with a 115-111 victory over Boston on Sunday in a matchup of the NBA's top teams. Mitchell scored 20 points in the fourth quarter as the Cavs rallied from 14 points down in the second half to defeat the reigning NBA champions.

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DONOVAN MITCHELL HUGE 4Q 😤 
 
🔥 20 PTS (35 overall) 
🔥 8 straight in 67 seconds 
🔥 6-6 FGM 
🔥 4-4 3PM<a href="https://twitter.com/cavs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@cavs</a> come back from down 14 in the 2H to stay atop the Eastern Conference! <a href="https://t.co/1SC8mKjhCb">pic.twitter.com/1SC8mKjhCb</a>
— NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1863394698271830315?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2024</a></blockquote>
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The Cavaliers started the season 15-0 but suffered their first loss at Boston last month by 120-117 and dropped their two prior games, both losses to Atlanta, before staging a fightback home triumph.

"For us, we've got to go out there and make a statement," Mitchell said. "They beat us in the NBA Cup. No excuse. We've got to go out there and try to build. We had two losses that really hurt. We weren't playing like ourselves. We needed this win."

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The Cavs improved to 18-3 to stay atop the Eastern Conference while the Celtics fell to 16-4 as Cleveland snapped their seven-game win streak.

"You've got to trust your work and what we've been working on since training camp. That's the biggest thing," Mitchell said. "That's what you saw tonight and that's what it's going to continue to be."

The Celtics were without starting guards Jaylen Brown due to illness and Derrick White with a sprained right foot.

"Just because they've got two guys down, they've got a lot of guys who are capable," Mitchell said. "You've got to respect them. They're champions for a reason."

Cleveland led 51-49 at half-time but the Celtics dominated the third quarter for an 84-72 lead entering the fourth, Jayson Tatum scoring 17 of his 33 points in the third period to lead Boston.

Mitchell responded for Cleveland, including a floater that gave the Cavs a 103-101 lead with 67 seconds remaining and concluded his run of 11 consecutive Cavaliers points.

"The biggest thing is you've just got to pick your spots, find your moments throughout the game," said Mitchell. "They kind of went on a run and in the fourth quarter I started to make my imprint.

Tatum missed a layup and Mobley followed with a dunk for a 105-101 Cavs lead. Porzingis responded with two free throws with 26 seconds to play but Mitchell sank two free throws of his own for a 107-103 Cavs lead.

Boston's Payton Pritchard sank a 3-pointer to lift the Celtics within one point but Darius Garland, who had 22 points, hit two free throws to give Cleveland a 109-106 edge and the Celtics kept fouling Pritchard, who had 24 points, to keep him from taking more 3-point shots.

The teams traded free throws late until Pritchard deliberately missed one trying to get a rebound, but he committed a lane violation and Mitchell added two final free throws to seal the victory.

"At the end of the day, we executed on both ends of the floor," said Mitchell. "I scored offensively but we were getting stops and finding ways to get rebounds, loose balls, different things. That's what ultimately ended up getting us the W."

Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

Donovan Mitchell scored 35 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers avenged a heartbreaking loss with a 115-111 victory over Boston on Sunday in a matchup of the NBA's top teams.

Donovan Mitchell scored 35 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers avenged a heartbreaking loss with a 115-111 victory over Boston on Sunday in a matchup of the NBA's top teams. Mitchell scored 20 points in the fourth quarter as the Cavs rallied from 14 points down in the second half to defeat the reigning NBA champions. DONOVAN MITCHELL HUGE 4Q 😤 🔥 20 PTS (35 overall) 🔥 8 straight in 67 seconds 🔥 6-6 FGM 🔥 4-4 3PM@cavs come back from down 14 in the 2H to stay atop the Eastern Conference! pic.twitter.com/1SC8mKjhCb — NBA (@NBA) December 2, 2024 × The Cavaliers started the season 15-0 but suffered their first loss at Boston last month by 120-117 and dropped their two prior games, both losses to Atlanta, before staging a fightback home triumph. "For us, we've got to go out there and make a statement," Mitchell said. "They beat us in the NBA Cup. No excuse. We've got to go out there and try to build. We had two losses that really hurt. We weren't playing like ourselves. We needed this win." ALSO READ: La Liga: Kylian Mbappe finds net after several misses in Real Madrid's win over Getafe at home The Cavs improved to 18-3 to stay atop the Eastern Conference while the Celtics fell to 16-4 as Cleveland snapped their seven-game win streak. "You've got to trust your work and what we've been working on since training camp. That's the biggest thing," Mitchell said. "That's what you saw tonight and that's what it's going to continue to be." The Celtics were without starting guards Jaylen Brown due to illness and Derrick White with a sprained right foot. "Just because they've got two guys down, they've got a lot of guys who are capable," Mitchell said. "You've got to respect them. They're champions for a reason." Cleveland led 51-49 at half-time but the Celtics dominated the third quarter for an 84-72 lead entering the fourth, Jayson Tatum scoring 17 of his 33 points in the third period to lead Boston. Mitchell responded for Cleveland, including a floater that gave the Cavs a 103-101 lead with 67 seconds remaining and concluded his run of 11 consecutive Cavaliers points. "The biggest thing is you've just got to pick your spots, find your moments throughout the game," said Mitchell. "They kind of went on a run and in the fourth quarter I started to make my imprint. Tatum missed a layup and Mobley followed with a dunk for a 105-101 Cavs lead. Porzingis responded with two free throws with 26 seconds to play but Mitchell sank two free throws of his own for a 107-103 Cavs lead. Boston's Payton Pritchard sank a 3-pointer to lift the Celtics within one point but Darius Garland, who had 22 points, hit two free throws to give Cleveland a 109-106 edge and the Celtics kept fouling Pritchard, who had 24 points, to keep him from taking more 3-point shots. The teams traded free throws late until Pritchard deliberately missed one trying to get a rebound, but he committed a lane violation and Mitchell added two final free throws to seal the victory. "At the end of the day, we executed on both ends of the floor," said Mitchell. "I scored offensively but we were getting stops and finding ways to get rebounds, loose balls, different things. That's what ultimately ended up getting us the W." Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

Cleveland Cavaliers comes from behind to beat champions Boston Celtics in NBA Cup showdown

The Cleveland Cavaliers, playing without top scorer Donovan Mitchell, matched the second-best start to a season in NBA history on Sunday, reaching 15-0 with a 128-114 victory over Charlotte. Mitchell took the night off to rest after averaging 24.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists for the Cavs during their perfect run.

The host Cavaliers, however, made up for his absence with a balanced attack as Darius Garland had 25 points and 12 assists, Ty Jerome added 24 points, Evan Mobley scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Jarrett Allen contributed 21 points and 15 rebounds.

"We've always got some fight in us no matter what," Garland said. "Everybody is ready to play. It doesn't matter, one through 15.

"Everybody contributed. Everybody had a huge part in this win. That's just us. Just as a team effort."

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Under new coach Kenny Atkinson, the Cavaliers had become the sixth team in NBA history to start 14-0.

Beating the Hornets made them only the fourth team in NBA history to open 15-0, matching the 1948-49 Washington Capitols and 1993-94 Houston Rockets for the second-best start.

They now trail only the record 24-0 start by the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors.

The win streak is already the longest in the Cavaliers' 55-year history, eclipsing three 13-win runs when LeBron James was with Cleveland.

Charlotte's LaMelo Ball had 31 points and 12 assists in a losing cause.

At Oklahoma City, Dallas forward P.J. Washington scored 27 points and grabbed 17 rebounds to lead the Mavericks, playing without injured guard Luka Doncic, over the host Thunder 121-119.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City with 36 points. He made a 3-pointer, stole the ball from Kyrie Irving late and hit a free throw but missed another and Luguentz Dort missed a 3-point shot for the win at the buzzer.

<h2>Randle hits late winner</h2>

Minnesota's Julius Randle sank a 25-foot 3-pointer at the final buzzer to give the host Timberwolves a 120-117 victory over Phoenix.

Anthony Edwards sank two game-tying free throws with 46 seconds remaining to set the stage for Randle's dramatic deciding shot, which produced the last of his 35 points while Edwards finished with 24.

Devin Booker led the Suns with a game-high 44 points.

Detroit's Cade Cunningham had a triple double with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to spark the Pistons over host Washington 124-104. Jaden Ivey had 28 points and Mailk Beasley 26 for Detroit.

Denver's Nikola Jokic, the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player, was out again for personal reasons in the Nuggets' 105-90 loss at Memphis. Jaren Jackson led the Grizzlies with 20 points. Reserve Julian Strawther led Denver with 19.

At Indianapolis, Myles Turner scored a season-high 34 points to lead the Indiana Pacers over Miami 119-110. Tyler Herro scored 28 to lead the Heat.

Portland's Shaedon Sharpe stole the ball from Atlanta's Trae Young and sank two clinching free throws, the last of his game-high 32 points, with one second remaining to seal the host Trail Blazers' 114-109 triumph. Young led the Hawks with 29 points.

Turkish center Alperen Sengun had a triple double with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists and Fred VanVleet scored 28 points to lead Houston's 143-107 victory at Chicago.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 26 points and 15 rebounds to lead the New York Knicks over visiting Brooklyn 114-104.

The Los Angeles Clippers defeated visiting Utah 116-105 as James Harden rose to second on the all-time NBA 3-pointer list by hitting his 2,974th in the first quarter. Ivica Zubac had 22 points to lead the Clippers while Harden added 20 points and 11 assists.

Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

The Cleveland Cavaliers, playing without top scorer Donovan Mitchell, matched the second-best start to a season in NBA history on Sunday, reaching 15-0 with a 128-114 victory over Charlotte.

The Cleveland Cavaliers, playing without top scorer Donovan Mitchell, matched the second-best start to a season in NBA history on Sunday, reaching 15-0 with a 128-114 victory over Charlotte. Mitchell took the night off to rest after averaging 24.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists for the Cavs during their perfect run. The host Cavaliers, however, made up for his absence with a balanced attack as Darius Garland had 25 points and 12 assists, Ty Jerome added 24 points, Evan Mobley scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Jarrett Allen contributed 21 points and 15 rebounds. "We've always got some fight in us no matter what," Garland said. "Everybody is ready to play. It doesn't matter, one through 15. "Everybody contributed. Everybody had a huge part in this win. That's just us. Just as a team effort." ALSO READ: Golf: Rory McIlroy wins sixth Race to Dubai title with DP World Tour Championship win Under new coach Kenny Atkinson, the Cavaliers had become the sixth team in NBA history to start 14-0. Beating the Hornets made them only the fourth team in NBA history to open 15-0, matching the 1948-49 Washington Capitols and 1993-94 Houston Rockets for the second-best start. They now trail only the record 24-0 start by the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors. The win streak is already the longest in the Cavaliers' 55-year history, eclipsing three 13-win runs when LeBron James was with Cleveland. Charlotte's LaMelo Ball had 31 points and 12 assists in a losing cause. At Oklahoma City, Dallas forward P.J. Washington scored 27 points and grabbed 17 rebounds to lead the Mavericks, playing without injured guard Luka Doncic, over the host Thunder 121-119. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City with 36 points. He made a 3-pointer, stole the ball from Kyrie Irving late and hit a free throw but missed another and Luguentz Dort missed a 3-point shot for the win at the buzzer. Randle hits late winner Minnesota's Julius Randle sank a 25-foot 3-pointer at the final buzzer to give the host Timberwolves a 120-117 victory over Phoenix. Anthony Edwards sank two game-tying free throws with 46 seconds remaining to set the stage for Randle's dramatic deciding shot, which produced the last of his 35 points while Edwards finished with 24. Devin Booker led the Suns with a game-high 44 points. Detroit's Cade Cunningham had a triple double with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to spark the Pistons over host Washington 124-104. Jaden Ivey had 28 points and Mailk Beasley 26 for Detroit. Denver's Nikola Jokic, the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player, was out again for personal reasons in the Nuggets' 105-90 loss at Memphis. Jaren Jackson led the Grizzlies with 20 points. Reserve Julian Strawther led Denver with 19. At Indianapolis, Myles Turner scored a season-high 34 points to lead the Indiana Pacers over Miami 119-110. Tyler Herro scored 28 to lead the Heat. Portland's Shaedon Sharpe stole the ball from Atlanta's Trae Young and sank two clinching free throws, the last of his game-high 32 points, with one second remaining to seal the host Trail Blazers' 114-109 triumph. Young led the Hawks with 29 points. Turkish center Alperen Sengun had a triple double with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists and Fred VanVleet scored 28 points to lead Houston's 143-107 victory at Chicago. Karl-Anthony Towns had 26 points and 15 rebounds to lead the New York Knicks over visiting Brooklyn 114-104. The Los Angeles Clippers defeated visiting Utah 116-105 as James Harden rose to second on the all-time NBA 3-pointer list by hitting his 2,974th in the first quarter. Ivica Zubac had 22 points to lead the Clippers while Harden added 20 points and 11 assists. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

Cleveland Cavaliers rocks Charlotte to match second-best start in NBA history

Donovan Mitchell sparked a comeback for the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 7 of the Round 1 NBA Playoffs against the Orlando Magic on May 5. Mitchell's 39 points saved the Cavs' season and they beat the Magic 106-94 and moved to the second round of the playoffs.

Mitchell, who had scored 50 points in game 6, again carried Cleveland despite Jalen Seggs going all over him. It was a game of two halves for Mitchell, who started a bit slow but eventually caught up the pace to render any Magic ineffective.

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After scoring 15 points in the first half, Mitchell scored 17 in the 3Q to spark the light and eventually won it for the Cavs. Apart from him, Chris LeVert also scored 15 points while Max Strus chipped in with 13.

Cleveland, who had started the best of seven series with two wins in the first two games, looked all done as they managed 18 and 25 points in the first two quarters against the Magic's 24 and 29, respectively.&nbsp;

Come the second half, the Cavaliers scored 63 points in total - 33 in the third and 30 in the fourth while the Magic managed just 15 in 3Q and 26 in the final 12 minutes - handing over the game and the series to the Cavaliers.

For Orlando, Paolo Banchero fought the lone battle, scoring 38 points while Wendell Carter Jr. managed 13.

Speaking after the win, Mitchell said: "I'm tired of losing in the first round. You work too hard. We work too hard. That was my mindset ... for me, just be in attack mode. I'm battling through what I'm battling through, but I could battle through it and figure it out, or rehab it for the next three or four months. That's where I'm at mentally."

Notably, his 89 points in the last two playoff games are the second highest in NBA history, behind only Allen Iverson's 90 in Game 6 and Game 7 in 2001.

Donovan Mitchell sparked a comeback for the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 7 of the Round 1 NBA Playoffs against the Orlando Magic on May 5. Mitchell's 39 points saved the Cavs' season and they beat the Magic 106-94 and moved to the second round of the playoffs.

Donovan Mitchell sparked a comeback for the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 7 of the Round 1 NBA Playoffs against the Orlando Magic on May 5. Mitchell's 39 points saved the Cavs' season and they beat the Magic 106-94 and moved to the second round of the playoffs. Mitchell, who had scored 50 points in game 6, again carried Cleveland despite Jalen Seggs going all over him. It was a game of two halves for Mitchell, who started a bit slow but eventually caught up the pace to render any Magic ineffective. Also Read: 'We were honoured': McLaren defend hosting Donald Trump during Miami GP amid backlash After scoring 15 points in the first half, Mitchell scored 17 in the 3Q to spark the light and eventually won it for the Cavs. Apart from him, Chris LeVert also scored 15 points while Max Strus chipped in with 13. Cleveland, who had started the best of seven series with two wins in the first two games, looked all done as they managed 18 and 25 points in the first two quarters against the Magic's 24 and 29, respectively. Come the second half, the Cavaliers scored 63 points in total - 33 in the third and 30 in the fourth while the Magic managed just 15 in 3Q and 26 in the final 12 minutes - handing over the game and the series to the Cavaliers. For Orlando, Paolo Banchero fought the lone battle, scoring 38 points while Wendell Carter Jr. managed 13. Speaking after the win, Mitchell said: "I'm tired of losing in the first round. You work too hard. We work too hard. That was my mindset ... for me, just be in attack mode. I'm battling through what I'm battling through, but I could battle through it and figure it out, or rehab it for the next three or four months. That's where I'm at mentally." Notably, his 89 points in the last two playoff games are the second highest in NBA history, behind only Allen Iverson's 90 in Game 6 and Game 7 in 2001.

Playoffs: Donovan Mitchell's 39 in Game 7 sparks sensational Cavaliers comeback against Magic