Not all 50-point games are equal, and Donovan Mitchell’s was exceptional.
The 6-foot-1 Cavaliers star erupted for 50 against an elite Magic defense in Game 6 of their first-round series.
Unfortunately, it was in a 103-96 loss, but Mitchell did everything he could – scoring each of Cleveland’s final 22 points, including the team’s 18 in the fourth quarter.
He scored 36 of his 50 points in the paint.
And it was during a game he temporarily left due to an apparent knee injury, and he was visibly compromised, unable to display his elite athleticism during the performance.
Mitchell’s 50 points were scored efficiently, scoring on 22 of his 36 field goal attempts, good for a 61.1 percent shooting.
And his shooting hasn’t been boosted by an unbalanced number of 3-pointers, hitting just 3 of 9 from deep.
But he also made just 3 of 6 from the free throw line.
The Cavaliers only went to the free throw line 10 times, despite the numerous times they attacked the paint, but Mitchell didn’t want to use that as an excuse.
“I want to start by wanting to give credit to Orlando. It’s not an excuse – it’s thanks to Orlando, they beat us,” Mitchell said in his post-match press conference.
The Cavs, outside of Mitchell, shot 20 of 50 from the field — good for just 40 percent.
And aside from even Mitchell’s ineffectiveness from deep, they were worse, hitting just 4 of 19 from downtown.
Game 7 of the series is Sunday, with the winner facing the No. 1 seed Celtics, who eliminated the No. 8 Heat from the playoffs on Wednesday.
New York Post
