Mitchell sets Cavs record with 71 points

CLEVELAND — Not LeBron James. Not Kyrie Irving. Donovan Mitchell. With a virtuoso performance against the Chicago Bulls on Monday night, Mitchell set the Cavaliers' single-game scoring record — and led them to a remarkable 145-134 overtime win at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. "In my 15 years, that's the best performance I've ever seen," Kevin Love said following the victory. Mitchell's record-setter was the most incredible, the most important and most improbable. With the Bulls (16-21) clinging to a three-point lead in the closing seconds after a pair of made free throws by reserve guard Coby White, the Cavs (24-14) inbounded the ball to Mitchell. As he dribbled up the floor, Chicago fouled Mitchell on purpose, wanting to keep him from any chance at a game-tying 3-pointer. It was a good idea. In theory. But Mitchell had his own thoughts. The MVP candidate buried the first free throw and missed the second on purpose. As the high-arching ball was caroming off the rim, Mitchell shimmied around 6-foot-7 forward Patrick Williams, darted toward the lane, caught the rebound in midair and spun in the game-tying layup. Mitchell had his 58th point — a franchise record and career-high. But in order to punctuate this night, the Cavs needed a defensive stop at the end of regulation. With 3 seconds left, the Bulls called timeout to draw up a play. Center Jarrett Allen forced DeMar DeRozan into a miss at the buzzer, and despite the Cavs never leading in regulation, it was on to overtime. "We've come this far, so might as well finish," Mitchell said of the conversation before OT. Mitchell poured in 13 more points in the extra session. He finished with an NBA season-high 71 points on 22 of 34 from the field, 7 of 15 from 3-point range and 20 of 25 from the foul line in 50 awe-inspiring minutes. LeBron who? Kyrie who? "I don't know how many guys in our league can do what he did tonight," Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "I've never been witness to a performance like that live. We were treated tonight to one of the greatest performances in the history of the NBA." Mitchell is just the sixth player in NBA history to score more than 70 in a game — and the first since Phoenix Suns swingman Devin Booker notched 70 on March 24, 2017. Mitchell's 71 points are tied with David Robinson and Elgin Baylor for the eighth-highest score in a single game in regular season history. Wilt Chamberlain scored at least 70 five different times. Kobe Bryant and David Thompson are the others to reach that rarified air. The highest tally for both Irving and James was 57 — the Cavs' previous franchise record. Astonishingly, Mitchell's night didn't start well. He missed five of his first seven shot attempts. But Mitchell started heating up at the end of the first half, tallying eight straight going into the locker room and giving him a mundane 16 first-half points. That late-quarter turnaround carried over into an explosive third quarter. Mitchell went nuclear. He cut Chicago's 21-point lead to single digits for the first time in the second half at the 3:25 mark of the third — a driving and-1 that had him celebrating and calling for the crowd to rise. They did. And then showered him with MVP chants. Mitchell scored 24 of the team's 44 third-quarter points, going 6 of 9 from the field and 12 of 12 from the free-throw line. It's the second-highest scoring quarter of his career. By the end of that burst, Cleveland trailed by just five points heading into the fourth. Even though Mitchell typically sits to begin the final quarter, Bickerstaff wanted to give his star a chance to finish what he started. That he did. Fittingly, it was Mitchell who finally gave Cleveland its first lead of the night in OT — a cold-blooded step-back triple. The Cavs never looked back, outscoring the Bulls 15-4 in OT. To make his night even more special, Mitchell added 11 assists and eight rebounds. In all, he accounted for 99 of the team's 145 points. After a water-bottle celebration on the court, teammate Cedi Osman, who finished with 19 points off the bench, grabbed the microphone and started the booming MVP chant one more time. Following Saturday's one-point win in Chicago, Mitchell was highly critical of his recent play, looking nothing like the franchise player who had Cleveland dreaming of another Finals run. That changed Monday. Emphatically. Historically. Mitchell was back. Time to dream again. Playing shorthanded Darius Garland missed his second consecutive game because of a sprained right thumb. Evan Mobley was held out another night because of soreness in his right ankle. Moving up With his post-up basket at the 7:43 mark of the first quarter, veteran Kevin Love moved into 10th place on the all-time made field goals list, passing franchise legend Campy Russell. Love's made shot was his first of the night and the 2,481st field goal of his Cavaliers career. Up next The Cavs will host the Phoenix Suns (20-18) on Wednesday night. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.