MVP of the night | Donovan Mitchell, the superhero of the Cavaliers
Where would Cavaliers Sans Donovan Mitchell ? Tonight, the question took a very concrete turn as Cleveland came close to an embarrassing loss against Washington … before being saved by its leader.
The Cavs lacked seriousness for a long time, ceding rhythm and aggression to the Wizards, and found themselves with their backs against the wall: trailing by 17 points and still down -15 entering the fourth quarter. A very bad evening, especially after the mini-truce that was supposed to put things back on track.
“We found Donovan Mitchell, or Donovan Mitchell found us”
But Donovan Mitchell then went into a dimension of his own: 35 points in the second half, including 24 in the fourth quarter alone, to finish with 48 points (17/31 shooting, 8/15 3-pointers). Decisive shots, sharp penetrations, drawn jumps… Everything happened. And Cleveland outscored Washington 45-26 in the final 12 minutes to win 130-126, even though the game seemed to be slipping away.
Kenny Atkinson inevitably confirmed that, without his back, the evening would have turned into a fiasco. “We found Donovan Mitchell, or Donovan Mitchell found us, it’s up to you”, said the coach after the match. “It was one of the best performances I’ve seen.
Most impressively, Donovan Mitchell did not want to transform an individual feat into a collective display. He knows what this type of matchup also says about the Cavaliers, and so he puts the context on the table, without getting sidetracked.
“We couldn’t lose this match after the break (of several days without a match)”he said. “There is something positive in our reaction. We put ourselves in a situation where after losing to Golden State and playing against a team that has three wins and I don’t know how many losses, we fell by 15 points. We can put our heads down and surrender. But we found a solution as a team, collectively. That’s positive. It comes from five days that we could talk without a game.
“He’s obviously our superhero”
“But that can’t happen. We can’t find ourselves in this situation. We’ve had this conversation before. We’re going to have to keep breaking things down, little by little. But I’m proud of our reaction.” he continues.
The good news is that Cleveland found the resources to turn things around in a very bad situation. The bad news is that the Cavs have once again put themselves in a situation where a hero is necessary.
“He’s obviously our superhero”Lonzo Ball says of Donovan Mitchell. “We have to help him more. He’s been amazing all year. It’s just another match on the clock for him.”
Donovan Mitchell thus avoided another embarrassing defeat in Cleveland. But beyond his 48 points, his message is clear: The Cavs have a superhero. Just don’t make him save the team every night…
https://vvv.youtube.com/vatch?v=847h3D63dMM
| Donovan Mitchell | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saison | The team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | That | Pd | Ft | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2017-18 | UTA | 79 | 33:24 | 43.7 | 34.0 | 80.5 | 0.7 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 2.7 | 1.5 | 2.7 | 0.3 | 20.5 |
| 2018-19 | UTA | 77 | 33:44 | 43.2 | 36.2 | 80.6 | 0.8 | 3.3 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 2.7 | 1.4 | 2.8 | 0.4 | 23.8 |
| 2019-20 | UTA | 69 | 34:16 | 44.9 | 36.6 | 86.3 | 0.8 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 2.7 | 0.2 | 24.0 |
| 2020-21 | UTA | 53 | 33:25 | 43.8 | 38.6 | 84.5 | 0.9 | 3.5 | 4.4 | 5.2 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 2.8 | 0.3 | 26.4 |
| 2021-22 | UTA | 67 | 33:49 | 44.8 | 35.5 | 85.3 | 0.8 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 5.3 | 2.4 | 1.5 | 3.0 | 0.2 | 25.9 |
| 2022-23 | CLE | 68 | 35:46 | 48.4 | 38.6 | 86.7 | 0.9 | 3.3 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 2.6 | 0.4 | 28.3 |
| 2023-24 | CLE | 55 | 35:19 | 46.2 | 36.8 | 86.5 | 0.8 | 4.3 | 5.1 | 6.1 | 2.1 | 1.8 | 2.8 | 0.5 | 26.6 |
| 2024-25 | CLE | 71 | 31:26 | 44.3 | 36.8 | 82.3 | 0.8 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 2.1 | 0.2 | 24.0 |
| 2025-26 | CLE | 23 | 34:18 | 50.2 | 38.5 | 83.6 | 1.0 | 3.9 | 4.8 | 5.5 | 2.4 | 1.4 | 3.4 | 0.3 | 30.5 |
How to read statistics? MJ = matches played; Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive jump; Tot = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; Points = Points.
2025-12-13 06:52:00
