1 stud and 1 dud for Cavaliers in OT win over Wizards on Sunday
By Dan Gilinsky
Cavaliers stud: Donovan Mitchell
Mitchell has had a historic start to open the season with his new team, and kept his scorching ways going in this Wizards matchup.
Mitchell had 37 points, with him going five-of-12 in this one from three-point land. Through three contests, he’s had 30-plus in each game with his new club, which has been a feat done by only two other players in NBA history, per Elias Sports Bureau and as h/t Cavs Notes.
Mitchell is just the 3rd player in @NBA history to score 30+ points in each of his first 3 games with a franchise.
— Cavs Notes (@CavsNotes) October 24, 2022
Wilt Chamberlain (Warriors) - 8 straight in 1959-60
Glenn Robinson (Hawks) - 3 straight in 2002-03
DONOVAN MITCHELL (Cavs) - 3 straight in 2022-23
via @EliasSports https://t.co/l7HeM6o8mb
He was getting to the basket effectively with change-of-pace, his strength and his handle, coupled with the looks from range, and while Mitchell did have six turnovers, his shot-making was instrumental here.
Now, Mitchell did have those six turnovers, compared to four assists, and he had the ball stripped on back-to-back possessions late in the fourth, and the game went to overtime when it frankly shouldn’t have.
Mitchell did make a great move to get himself a clean look essentially right near the closing horn at the end of regulation, and missed that, but, he did respond from there in overtime, and free throws were big from him. He was eight-of-nine from the line, and when Washington missed some critical free throws in overtime, Mitchell, despite playing 45 minutes, and on the second night of a back-to-back, was money there.
Additionally, although defense is still an area where he’ll need to show he’s more capable going forward, as he had issues on that end in Utah in recent seasons, Mitchell has looked solid on that end thus far, and he was active as a helper here. He had three steals, and early on, he has appeared to be working hard to at least make his matchups work, and his contests have been sound. Time will tell if that sort of thing keeps up on that end.
Anyhow, by and large, Mitchell came up with a big-time performance in this one. And despite those heavy minutes and maybe some fatigue late, leading to a cold spell in the fourth, he made his presence felt continually, and again, I don’t discount those key free throws.