With the Cleveland Cavaliers being on the second night of a back-to-back on Monday, they decided to give Darius Garland the night off so he wouldn't re-aggravate his toe injury troubles. This freed up Donovan Mitchell to do the bulk of the heavy lifting against a flatlining Indiana Pacers team.
Mitchell, who didn't have the best of games on Sunday in a 117-115 loss to the Boston Celtics, bounced back in a huge way — finishing with 43 points, nine rebounds, and six assists in a convincing 135-119 win over their division rival.
At 29 years of age, Mitchell remains in the middle of his prime and is reaching heights that not too many players before him have done. In fact, the Cavs star, in his first 20 games of the season, only belongs with Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry in an exclusive club.
According to ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel, Mitchell is only the second player in NBA history to average at least 30 points per game on over 50 percent shooting from the field while drilling 80 or more three-pointers over his first 20 games of the season, joining Curry.
Amid the Cavs' injury troubles, the team has needed Mitchell to play at an unbelievable level. And to his credit, he has answered the call. Cleveland may not be as good this year as they were in last year's regular season, but make no mistake about it — they might be just as dangerous of a team, especially when Mitchell is playing like this.
Cavs' unsung heroes are stepping up
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Cleveland Cavaliers guard/forward Jaylon Tyson (20) reacts after his basket against the Boston Celtics in the second quarter at TD Garden.
David Butler II-Imagn Images
Mitchell might be in impressive company rubbing elbows with Curry in terms of scoring efficiency and three-point volume, but without the emergence of a few unsung heroes, the Cavs would have found it more difficult to overcome the depleted Pacers.
In particular, Jaylon Tyson, the 20th overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft, appears to be a huge draft-night win for Cleveland.
Tyson recorded 27 points and 11 rebounds on a pristine 10-13 shooting night, as he has filled in admirably for Jarrett Allen, who's currently on the mend with a finger injury.
Nae'Qwan Tomlin also continues to be a revelation, as he is a hustle guy who gets the job done for the Cavs, while Tyrese Proctor has also given his team some quality minutes off the bench.