Simply put, Donovan Mitchell wasn’t going to let Cleveland fall into a 0-3 hole.
With another 40-point outing in the books in a must-win Game 3 from Mitchell, Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson described what he saw from his superstar in just eight words.
“Probably, for me, [his] best performance of the year," Atkinson spoke on Mitchell’s 43-point barrage that powered Cleveland’s 126-104 romp of the Pacers in their East semifinal series. The Cavaliers still trailed in the series, 2-1, with Game 4 set on Tuesday (PH time), May 13.
It made the 28-year-old only the second player in franchise history to drop consecutive 40-point games in a single playoff run.
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Mitchell also grabbed nine rebounds, dished out five assists, drilled five threes, and took over late just when Indiana cut Cleveland’s once 21-point halftime lead to 11 in the fourth.
He scored 13 of the Cavs’ 16 points at one point to restore order, further widening a 104-93 advantage into a 120-96 avalanche in a four-minute stretch.
"I thought he was masterful. I don't use that word hardly ever. He was masterful in the way he controlled the game--passing, making the right decision, defending," Atkinson bared.
“That’s a great leader right there. He knows what he’s doing out there. That's what he does,” Evan Mobley spoke of Mitchell's performance.
Mobley, alongside Darius Garland and De’Andre Hunter, all returned after missing Game 2 to injuries and provided the much-needed boost.
The reigning Defensive Player of the Year delivered on both ends with 18 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, and three steals while Garland added 10 markers in 25 minutes. Hunter chipped in eight points and five boards off the bench.
A full team effort from the @cavs for their first win of the East Semis 🔥
— NBA (@NBA) May 10, 2025
Mitchell: 43 PTS, 9 REB, 5 AST, 5 3PM
Strus: 20 PTS, 7 REB, 7 AST, 4 3PM
Allen: 19 PTS, 12 REB, 2 BLK
Mobley: 18 PTS, 13 REB, 4 AST, 3 STL, 3 BLK
They look to tie series 2-2 on Sunday at 8pm/et on TNT!
"It's great to have those guys back. They bring us a huge boost, bring me a huge boost. I go to war with these guys. I trust everybody in this locker room. And you saw it tonight, but ultimately we got to do it again,’ Mitchell commented.
Atkinson added: "It was kind of now or never. You're banged up and you're hurting... They showed a lot of fortitude."
With Mobley presence, Cleveland dominated the rebounding battle against Indiana, 56-37. That also included 18 offensive boards that the Cavs translated to 31 second-chance points.
But after recording the largest victory margin of the series up to this point, Mitchell isn’t satisfied just yet.
"We haven't done anything. I mean, we won one game. We got to do it again. It's been my message. We're not celebrating, we're not smiling. We came here to take two games, and we did one,” the six-time All-Star insisted.
