Concerning Donovan Mitchell stat surfaces after Cavs' loss vs. Thunder
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The Cleveland Cavaliers made waves last week when they defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in an instant classic of a game. During that contest, the Cavs were able to overcome a rough shooting night from star guard Donovan Mitchell, who put up just 11 points on 3-16 shooting from the field during that contest. But they had no such luck in their rematch over a week later, as the Cavs were on the receiving end of a beatdown from the Thunder on Thursday night, 134-114.
It is always difficult for any team to win ballgames when their best player is struggling. It was a testament to the Cavs’ depth and all-around excellence that they were able to weather the storm that was a brickfest from Mitchell last week. But in their rematch against the Thunder, which was on the road, they could not catch lightning in a bottle twice. Mitchell had yet another poor outing, as he scored just eight points on 3-15 shooting from the field in a game that wasn’t as close as the final margin of defeat would indicate.
Mitchell has seen his production go down this season, but the Cavs still rely on him to take them across the finish line even with Darius Garland and Evan Mobley assuming larger roles. However, the Thunder defense is exemplary — the league’s best for a reason — and it’s no surprise that they are stifling someone as good as Mitchell.
Oklahoma City can throw multiple bodies at the Cavs star to throw him off, ranging from Luguentz Dort to Jalen Williams to Alex Caruso, and they also had the likes of Cason Wallace and Kenrich Williams to put on him at times. Mitchell, however, will have to figure out how to help the team in games of such magnitude for the Cavs to fulfill their championship potential.
The Cavs get dished with a major reality check by the Thunder
As excellently as the Cavs have played this season, there is still a long way to go in the 2024-25 season. Their defeat to the Thunder should serve as a reality check that, if they don’t bring it every single night, they are going to be on the receiving end of such humbling losses.
The Cavs have now become the “hunted”, which means that they will get the best effort from their opposition every night. This means that Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley cannot struggle the way they did on Thursday night.
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