Donovan Mitchell happy with Cavs’ good move, but ‘we haven’t cracked any code’

The Cleveland Cavaliers got back into the win column on Monday night with a 139-132 victory over the Charlotte Hornets. He snapped a three-game losing streak and showed what this group is capable of, which was needed. However, one win over a team that should win, especially at home, doesn’t mean all is fixed. Despite the refreshing outcome, Donovan Mitchell made sure to emphasize that the Cavs must take the same approach at night.

“We haven’t cracked any code,” Mitchell said in an interview after Monday’s game. “It’s not a victory lap because we won (Monday). We did it once. Now, we have to do it on a consistent basis. We might not make shots (Tuesday). We might miss. We might miss every free throw. We might not shoot 55%, but who are we going to be consistent through it? We can make every shot to continue to lead (Will we continue to lead). throat?

“That’s the ultimate challenge, not just when things are going well. Just be great, like, continue to be the team that we want to be. And (Monday) was a good step in the right direction.”

His Cavs All-Star backcourt partner, Darius Garlandconsiders it will take the same confidence and intensity from the win in Charlotte to achieve it.

“This was a great start just to get us going because we were in a little bit of a spot that we don’t like to be in,” Garland said. “So it’s really good to see everybody happy in the locker room. No boos in the crowd tonight and a lot more cheering. I’m trying to get back to Cavaliers basketball.”

Despite being in foul trouble for much of the second half, Mitchell still found a way to score 30 points, dish out five assists and pull down four rebounds in 29 minutes of action. The Cavs didn’t need him to be a superhero for a change, like De’Andre Hunter returned to his scoring duties as a sixth man and Garland led an offense that shot 55.2% from the field, including 54.5% from deep, and hit all 19 of its free throws at the line.

“Win or lose (Monday), I’d be happy just because our process was … we did a lot of things well,” Mitchell said, citing multiple efforts and communication. “We were flying around, constantly trying to find ways to be better defensively. Even when they were shooting, we didn’t let it affect our spirit, our mood. We continued to come out and play good basketball, but it always helps when you shoot 55 (percent) from three and don’t miss a free throw.”

“It’s really nice to see the ball go through the rim,” Garland added. “It’s just growing confidence for all of us shooting the ball. Dean (Wade) made a couple tonight. TB (Thomas Bryant) made a couple in the corner that was really big for us. So I’m just trying to encourage us to get to the paint and then shoot for threes. It just costs a lot to defend and then everybody plays when it’s the right shot, we already know what the right shot is. Cavalanche, I guess that’s what they call it, so it was good to see the ball go through the hoop.

Cavaliers rewarded for small things on Monday

Doing the right things doesn’t always lead to good results, but they were certainly rewarded on Monday.

“I think Sam (Merrill) has a lot to do with that, our offensive production,” Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson said. “That’s why you score 140 points, (if) you shoot the ball like that. We needed it. Hopefully this gets us going, right? You have this breakout game, a little more confidence, the ball starts going in a little more. Hopefully this game gets us going, helps our confidence.”

Mitchell and Atkinson can relate to going through rough patches. The two had similar experiences in Utah and Golden State, and coming out the other side requires a strong resilience now in Cleveland. Although it has been anything but easy so far, Mitchell’s message was to “stick with it.”

“If you tuck your tails and hang your head, it’s not going to get you anywhere, is it? So keep being it,” Mitchell said. “And we’re going to keep fighting. We’ve just got to keep putting it together. This isn’t something where we’re like, ‘Yeah, we’re back.’ No, we have to do it again (Tuesday) and after that on Christmas Day, then we have a big push ahead of us. So let’s continue to be who we are and be positive.

“There are certain locker rooms that (it) would definitely be harder. But when you come in here everyday, you’ve got Jaylon Tyson making jokes at 9 in the morning. Like, it’s just the bond that we have. That’s why this isn’t scary. There’s going to be stretches where we’re going to continue to play well. It’s going to be a stretch where we’re going to go through a stretch again, and it’s going to continue. to take care of each other and keep doing the little things for each other.”