Did you witness History last week? I did. The Cavaliers finished off the week going 2-1 overall. Donovan Mitchell made history, scoring 71 points in an offensive explosion last Monday vs the Chicago Bulls.
Game 1, Vs The Chicago Bulls: Let’s start off with Donovan Mitchell. He had one of the best games of all time. It’s that simple. Donovan erupted, and no one could stop him as he was responsible for 99 of the Cavaliers points, good for second most in NBA History. Mitchell scored 71 points and dished out 11 assists. No Garland to distribute the ball? Well, no problem. We have “The Spida” on our side, all is well. The Bulls pushed forward and put up a valiant effort, as DeRozan scored 44 and Lavine scored 26 but ultimately fell short as the Cavalier defense clutched up late and the offense kept rolling. Jarrett Allen was very solid for us, displaying elite defense and scoring 21 points offensively. Cavaliers win, 145-134.
Game 2, Vs The Pheonix Suns: Another day, another comeback win for the Cavs. Nothing new at this point, although I wish we’d come out of the gate stronger and maintain momentum all game long. But the game is never always pretty. The Cavs scratched their way back into this one, as Chris Paul and DeAndre Ayton gave Cleveland some serious issues. Ayton had Allen locked up, holding him to just TWO points. Chris Paul had one of his better games of the season, scoring 25. But just as the Suns felt comfortable, Donovan Mitchell and Caris Levert came alive. Mitchell’s 20 and Caris’ 21 brought the cavs back into it late, as they came all the way back to win in Cleveland. 90-88.
Game 3, @The Denver Nuggets: Nikola Jokic. I’m not sure what else to say. The Cavs simply couldn’t contain him, as most teams can’t. He finished the game with yet another triple double, with 28 points, 10 assists and 15 rebounds. The Nuggets are a very well built team, and we knew this would be a tough game. The Nuggets got going early and never really looked back. Tough day for Cleveland. Jamal Murray scored 18 for Denver as well. The Cavs didn’t have a great shooting night as Donovan Mitchell sat out on a rest day. In the grand scheme of things, one game doesn’t affect the season, but I’d have loved to see more effort and focus from Cleveland this game.
All stats provided courtesy of NBA.COM
John Zimmerman