Road victories have been hard to come by for the Cleveland Cavaliers so far this season, but they got a solid one on Wednesday by beating Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks, 105-90.
The Cavs got the win largely with defense, and they forced the Mavs to shoot under 40 percent from the field and held Doncic to an inefficient 30 points.
But star power was also important for Cleveland, and it was their newest star who stood out the most.
1. Donovan Mitchell Did Work
Cavs fans are starting to get used to the fact that most of the time, Donovan Mitchell is an absolute stud.
He was a star player previously with the Utah Jazz, but it seems like he’s been playing at an even higher level this season for Cleveland.
On Wednesday, he dropped 34 points while shooting an outstanding 13-of-20 from the field and 6-of-9 from 3-point range.
Donovan Mitchell was dominant as Cleveland picked up the road W.
34 PTS
3 REB
4 AST
6 3PM pic.twitter.com/ptRqsdjfAm— NBA (@NBA) December 15, 2022
He’s averaging 29.2 points a game on the season while hitting 50.2 percent of his shots and 42.9 percent from beyond the arc, all of which are career highs.
However, his backcourt mate still cannot find the mark.
2. Darius Garland Is Still In A Slump
After his breakout 2021-22 campaign that saw him make his first All-Star team, Darius Garland has regressed.
He has had trouble stringing together several good or great games, and his shooting accuracy has plummeted.
Garland was just 4-of-11 versus Dallas, and his overall shooting efficiency on the season is down to 42.3 percent.
If he doesn’t find a way to be consistent offensively, the Cavs will likely continue to lose more games than they win away from Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
Leave a Reply