The Cleveland Cavaliers missed their chance to close out the Orlando Magic and move on to the Eastern Conference semifinals, as they lost in Game 6 with a score of 103-96.
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Donovan Mitchell did all he could to carry the Cleveland Cavaliers by dropping 50 points, four rebounds, and four assists on 22-of-36 shooting from the floor, but that wasn’t enough.
“I wanna preface this by wanting to give credit to Orlando. This is not an excuse – Credit to Orlando, they beat us,” Mitchell said after Game 6 via Brett James on X (formerly known as Twitter).
“Especially in a closeout game, we have to find ways. I think we did a good job of sticking together. I felt like we were all locked in. But ultimately, we didn’t end up with the victory. So, we gotta go home and take care of business,” he added.
Backcourt partner Darius Garland had 21 points, six rebounds, five assists, and two steals on 10-of-17 shooting, while Max Strus added 10 points and eight rebounds in the losing effort.
Donovan Mitchell joins LeBron James to make Cleveland Cavaliers history
With 50 points on Friday, Donovan Mitchell recorded the second-highest scoring playoff game in Cleveland Cavaliers history, finishing just one point shy of tying LeBron James, who notched 51 points in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors.
Like LeBron James back in the day, Donovan Mitchell was a one-man show in the defeat, although James’ situation was worse because of JR Smith’s infamous gaffe.
It didn’t help that Jarrett Allen was out for the second consecutive game with a ‘pierced’ rib while Evan Mobley struggled with an ankle knock.
Donovan Mitchell also had 36 points in the paint, the most by a guard in a playoff game in the last 25 years. The five-time NBA All-Star surpassed the late Kobe Bryant, who previously held the record with 30 points.
