Time and time again, All-NBA shooting guard Donovan Mitchell has saved the Cleveland Cavaliers from what would have been a devastating loss.
His latest rescue effort occurred Friday, when Mitchell scored 35 points in the second half and finished with a season-high 48 for the game while rallying Cleveland for a 130-126 road victory against the Washington Wizards.
The Cavaliers return home Sunday to play the Charlotte Hornets for the first time this season, intent on not needing Mitchell to perform another magic act.
“When he’s like that, you just get out the way, let him do what he do,” Cleveland forward Jaylon Tyson said. “And if he misses, get the rebound and get the ball back to him and let him do what he do.”
Mitchell’s 48 points at Washington were a career high in a regulation, regular-season game. The only time he has topped that figure in nine seasons was a 71-point explosion in an overtime win over the Chicago Bulls on Jan. 2, 2023. He has also reached the 50-point mark in three different playoff games.
“We had a guy behind the bench talking to us the whole game and I had two little kids trying to gas me up, as well, so that always helps right?” said Mitchell, who is averaging a career-best 31.3 points per game and leads the league with 100 3-pointers.
The Wizards held a 100-85 lead after three quarters but were outscored 45-26 as Mitchell poured in 24 during his highest-scoring fourth quarter. The Cavaliers won for just the third time in their last eight games.
“We found Donovan Mitchell, or Donovan Mitchell found us, however you want to put it,” Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said. “It was one of the best performances I’ve seen.
“It looked like it was going to be a blowout at some point, so give Washington credit. He kind of carried us.”
The Hornets returned from a four-day break Friday with a 129-126 home loss to the Chicago Bulls, squandering a big performance by rookie small forward Kon Knueppel.
Kneuppel racked up a season-high 33 points on 12-of-21 shooting with five rebounds and nine assists while initiating much of the offense. Power forward Miles Bridges had 32 points and seven assists as Charlotte shot 52.6 percent from the floor.
The Hornets were without guards LaMelo Ball (ankle), Collin Sexton (quadriceps), and Tre Mann (knee).
“With Melo out, having that opportunity to handle the ball isn’t something I take lightly and it’s something I want to get better at,” said Knueppel, the reigning Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month. “I shot pretty well and, in general, was efficient. I thought Miles also got a lot of good looks and so did a lot of guys.”
A Bridges layup gave the Hornets a 113-112 lead with 3:26 remaining, but Zach Collins answered with a basket to put the Bulls back in front for good. Knueppel had an opportunity to tie it with 10 seconds left, but his 3-point attempt was off the mark.
Charlotte has lost two straight and four of its last five. Since Oct. 28, the Hornets are 5-17.
“For me, for sure, I wasn’t as good as I wanted to be on the basketball guarding one-on-one,” Knueppel said. “We didn’t have a good enough edge tonight.”
