Donovan Mitchell gets brutally honest about the ugly loss to the Blazers

The Cleveland Cavaliers they pride themselves on solidity, defensive identity and continuity. But after Wednesday night’s 122-110 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, the tone changed, and Donovan Mitchell didn’t sugar coat it.

Mitchell, who finished with 33 points in the loss, delivered a message that was equal parts blunt and measured, reflecting growing frustration amid a critical stretch of inconsistency.

The Cavs, now 13-10, have lost four of their last five, and Wednesday marked their first loss of the season against a team with a losing record.

“Take this on the chin.”

Donovan Mitchell’s assessment of Fr #Cavs he’s talking right now. Frustration combined with down-to-earthness, disappointment combined with an understanding of the reality of where things currently stand and where they will go. Balanced as always. pic.twitter.com/bmU7LEm8AV

— Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) December 4, 2025

“Take this on the chin,” Mitchell said after the game. “The league changes every year, teams get better, trends change and nothing is guaranteed. We have to adapt. It’s still early, but we have to come back urgently.”

That urgency was conspicuously absent on long drives against Portland.

Despite Mitchell and Evan Mobley adding 56 points, Mobley had 23 points and 10 rebounds as the Cavs struggled with defensive breakdowns and inconsistent intensity.

Portland shot 34 of 39 from the free throw line and Danny Avdia torched Cleveland for 27 points, and reserves Caleb Love and Shaddon Sharp adding 20 each.

For a team that was near the top of the league defensively a year ago, the performance was particularly puzzling.

“We weren’t disciplined and we let them dictate,” Mitchell added. “That can’t happen, not at home, not against the teams we need to beat.”

Cleveland entered the season with high expectations after last year’s playoff run. But with injuries early in the schedule and a fluctuating defensive effort, consistency has been elusive.

Mitchell, however, made it clear that panic was not part of the equation; responsibility is.

“We will respond. We have to,” he said. “This is part of it, growing up, struggling, finding out who we are. But tonight? We take it on the chin and learn from it.”

For now, the Cavaliers remain a work in progress, talented, competitive, but searching for a rhythm.

And as Mitchell pointed out Wednesday night, the next installment will reveal whether this group can evolve or stall.