The Cleveland Cavaliers have become the first team to clinch a playoff spot, doing so on Wednesday night with a victory over the Miami Heat. The Cavs were back in action on Friday against the lowly Charlotte Hornets and their best player showed his brilliance at the end of the first quarter.
With the clock winding down, Donovan Mitchell weaved through the Hornets’ defense for a nasty Shammgod followed by a wild buzzer-beater.
Take a look:
Expand Tweet
What a play from Spida, who leads the Cavs in 2024-25 with 24.4 PPG. While he’s the main option for the Eastern Conference leaders, there’s a reason they’re the top squad in the Association. Kenny Atkinson’s squad is deep.
Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen are all having impressive campaigns as well, while the acquisition of De’Andre Hunter at the trade deadline was huge for this team in the pursuit of a Larry O’Brien Trophy in the coming months.
You may also likeArticle continues below
Mitchell has been showing out lately, scoring 41, 28, and 26 points across his last three games. The Cavs have won a mind-boggling 12 contests in a row and will be looking to make in 13 in Charlotte. At the time of writing, Cleveland has a small lead as the third quarter slowly draws to a close.
The Cavs truly look like the real deal, but they will need to likely get through the Boston Celtics if a berth in the NBA Finals is going to become a reality. For what it’s worth, Atkinson’s group has already beaten the defending champions twice this season in four meetings, including an epic come-from-behind win on February 28 where they overcame a large first-quarter deficit.
After Friday’s matchup, the Cavs are back at it on Sunday to finish up their two-game road trip, this time against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum.