Pictured above: Donovan Mitchell post-game, surronded by teammates (picture from ESPN)
On January 2, 2023, the Cleveland Cavaliers had rallied down 21 points to win an overtime thriller against the Chicago Bulls, 145-132. Besides a great comeback win for the 24-14 Cavs, it was also a historic night for star guard Donovan Mitchell. It started out looking strange for Mitchell, only scoring 16 points going into halftime, and the Cavs down 65-47. What would proceed following halftime became one of the most legendary moments in recent NBA history.
In the second half, Mitchell exploded for 42 points, on 7-11 shooting. Mitchell was sent to the free throw line with 4 seconds left, his team down by 3, an opportunity to send the match to overtime. Mitchell made the first shot, and intentionally missed the free throw, grabbing an offensive board, and chucking the ball up to tie the game at 130 a-piece. At the end of regulation, Mitchell already had an outstanding 58 points. This total already won Mitchell the record for most points scored by a Cavalier in a single game, beating the 57-point performances held by LeBron James and Kyrie Irving.
Overtime was simply a victory lap for Mitchell. He would score 13 points, going 4-4 from the field as well as making two free throws. Mitchell led the Cavaliers to outscore the Bulls 15-4 in overtime, securing the win. Mitchell ended the game with 71 points, 11 assists, 8 rebounds, as well as a block, on 50 minutes.
Pictured above: Donovan Mitchell, guarded by Ayo Dosunmu (picture from Bleacher Report)
Mitchell's performance was the 12th time a player scored 70 or more points in a game, and the seventh player to ever reach that threshold. According to ESPN, Mitchell's "55 points after halftime tied Bryant for the most by any player over the past 25 seasons".
After the game, Mitchell was showered with MVP chants throughout Cleveland's Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse arena. Teammate Cedi Osman even barged into Mitchell's post-game interview to do the MVP chant himself. Later that night, Mitchell took to Twitter to post a picture of himself surrounded by his teammates in the locker room, holding up a paper with "71" handwritten on it.
Pictured above: Mitchell holding a paper with "71" written on it, surrounded by teammates (picture from Donovan Mitchell's Twitter)
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