Donovan Mitchell Drops 71 Points for Cavs vs. Bulls; 7th Player Ever to Score over 70
January 3, 2023
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell put on a historic performance in Monday night's overtime win over the Chicago Bulls, dropping a career-high 71 points while adding 11 assists and eight rebounds.
Per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Mitchell is now in exclusive company as just the seventh player ever to score 70 points or more in an NBA game.
Mitchell played 50 minutes and shot 22-of-34 from the field, 7-of-15 from three-point range and 20-of-25 from the free throw line in the 145-134 victory. He forced overtime on a game-tying tip-in off his own missed free throw with three seconds left in the fourth quarter.
Dennis Manoloff @dmansworld474Thank you, Koby Altman and Mike Gansey, for the gift of <a href="https://twitter.com/spidadmitchell?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@spidadmitchell</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/cavs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@cavs</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/letemknow?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#letemknow</a>
The Cavaliers were without star point guard Darius Garland, who sat for the second straight game with a sprained thumb. Jarrett Allen added 21 points, and Cedi Osman scored 19 points off the bench as Cleveland improved to 24-14.
The 26-year-old joins Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, David Thompson, David Robinson, Elgin Baylor and Devin Booker as the only players ever to reach the 70-point mark in a game.
After spending the first five years of his career with the Utah Jazz, Mitchell was traded to Cleveland this offseason in a blockbuster deal. It didn't take him long to find a groove in his new surroundings, as the three-time All-Star is averaging career-highs of 28.0 points, 48.4 percent shooting and 41.1 percent from beyond the arc.
Mitchell and the Cavs will go for a third straight win when they return to action on Wednesday against the Phoenix Suns (20-18).
