The Cavaliers were experiencing their first period of turbulence, after two straight defeats against the Hawks. Donovan Mitchell wasn't much better, struggling in the last game against Atlanta, then in the first period against the Celtics. He returned to the locker room with only 5 points at 2/8 on the shoot.
The break will do him good since he will score 10 points in the third quarter. Problem: Cleveland is then blown away by the power of the Celtics and Jayson Tatum (17 units in this quarter). The Cavaliers had dominated the first period but were then up to 14 points behind…
“In the third quarter. I especially felt it, and it's a little selfish to say it like that, when Tatum shot me. It started to get hot, the Celtics too, and I told myself that we were going to start to give up. In the third quarter, I waited for the right moment to launch”, he says on the moment he will choose to carry his team.
The Cavaliers boss killed two birds with one stone
Donovan Mitchell will then score 20 points at 6/6 shooting including 4/4 behind the arc in the last quarter, including three winning baskets in just 93 seconds in “money time”. Quite a reaction.
“In the last quarter, I asked to be given the ball. It was time to go. Maybe it wouldn't fall in, that I was going to shoot at 0/6, but I was going to be aggressive. And if we had to lose, we were going to lose like this”continues the former Jazz player.
With 35 points at 12/21 on the shoot and 6/11 on 3-pts, the All-Star killed two birds with one stone in his team's victory. Already, on a personal level, he saved his match, which got off to a bad start at the break, with an authoritarian and superb response in the last act. Then, for his team, he avoided a defeat, which would have been the third in a row and would have led to the loss of first place in the Eastern Conference. It therefore averts a small crisis for the Ohio franchise.
“It’s his personality. It's incredible. I've never seen a guy like him”, rejoices Kenny Atkinson. “He never gives up. We think of players who hit chairs or get frustrated, but he behaves very well, he remains calm. He is much better than the coaches on this point. He calms everyone down, reassures the team. And it helps to bounce back after such a first period. »
| Donovan Mitchell | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2017-18 | UTH | 79 | 33 | 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 | UTH | 77 | 34 | 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 | UTH | 69 | 34 | 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 | UTH | 53 | 33 | 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 | UTH | 67 | 34 | 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 | KEY | 68 | 36 | 48.4 | 38.6 | 86.7 | 0.9 | 3.3 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 2.6 | 0.4 | 28.3 |
| 2023-24 | KEY | 55 | 35 | 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 | KEY | 19 | 32 | 45.1 | 38.9 | 82.4 | 0.6 | 4.2 | 4.7 | 4.0 | 2.3 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 24.1 |
| Total | 487 | 34 | 45.0 | 36.7 | 84.2 | 0.8 | 3.5 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 2.5 | 1.4 | 2.7 | 0.3 | 24.8 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
