Donovan Mitchell joined Stephen Curry in NBA history in the win against the Pacers

With Cleveland Cavaliers being Monday nights in a row, they decided to give Dario Garland the night off so as not to re-exacerbate his problems with the toe injury. This was liberating Donovan Mitchell to do the bulk of the heavy lifting against a staunch Indiana Pacers team.

Mitchell, who didn’t have his best game in Sunday’s 117-115 loss to the Boston Celtics, bounced back in a big way, finishing with 43 points, nine rebounds and six assists in a convincing 135-119 win over the division rival.

At 29 years old, Mitchell remains in the middle of his prime and is reaching heights that many players before him have failed to achieve. In fact, the Cavs’ star, through his first 20 games of the season, is tied only with the Golden State Warriors’ star Stephen Curry in an exclusive club.

According to ClutchPoints NBA Insider Brett Siegel, Mitchell is only others player in NBA history to average at least 30 points per game on over 50 percent shooting from the field while making 80 or more 3-pointers through his first 20 games of a season, joining Curry.

Amidst the Cavs’ injury woes, the team needed Mitchell to play at an incredible level. And to his credit, he answered the call. Cleveland might not be as good this year as they were in last year’s regular season, but make no mistake about it – they could be just as dangerous as a team, especially when Mitchell is playing like this.

The Cavs’ unsung heroes are stepping up

Mitchell could be in impressive company and rub elbows with Curry in terms of efficiency and three-point range, but without the emergence of a few unsung heroes, the Cavs will have a harder time overcoming the depleted Pacers.

In particular, Jaylon Tyson, the 20th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, appears to be Cleveland’s big draft pick.

Tyson had 27 points and 11 rebounds on a clean 10-13 shooting night as he filled in for Jarrett Allen, who is currently on the mend from a finger injury.

Nae’Quan Tomlin also continues to be a revelation, as he’s a hustle guy who gets the job done for the Cavs, while Tirese Proctor has also given his team some quality minutes off the bench.