Donovan Mitchell came through under pressure during Wednesday’s 121-112 Game 2 first-round playoff home victory over the Miami Heat.
The star shooting guard’s late-game heroics left Cleveland Cavaliers fans raving as their team took a 2-0 lead in the series.
Cavaliers Fans React to Donovan Mitchell Scoring 8 Straight Points To Close Out Game 2 Win
Cleveland was firing on all cylinders early, including a 43-point second quarter when they drilled a historic 11 3-pointers. That marked the most triples by a team in any postseason quarter in the NBA’s play-by-play era, allowing them to build a 19-point advantage.
The Cavaliers maintained a double-digit lead throughout the third quarter, still leading by 19 points with under three minutes to go. However, Miami came storming back, spearheaded by 14 fourth-quarter points from combo guard Davion Mitchell.
The two-way player’s scoring outburst helped the Heat trim the deficit to two points on multiple occasions.
Miami’s star shooting guard Tyler Herro, who scored a game-high 33 points, converted a pull-up midrange jumper to cut Cleveland’s lead to 105-103 with 3:11 remaining. Afterward, Donovan Mitchell responded with a contested fadeaway baseline jumper and two consecutive pull-up 3s, scoring eight straight points to ice the game.
The six-time All-Star’s crunch-time brilliance left fans on X ecstatic as they celebrated his and the Eastern Conference’s No. 1-seeded Cavaliers’ (64-18) success.
“Clutch gene activated! Donovan Mitchell is taking over!” one fan said.
“Donovan Mitchell is a closer,” another wrote.
“Mitchell is BUILT for the moment! 8 straight in crunch time!” one user remarked.
“He’s such a beast,” another added.
“The Cavs are winning their series….this team has been solid!!” another predicted.
“Keep winning champ,” one more shared.
Donovan Mitchell on Cleveland’s Late-Game Response Against Miami
Following Wednesday’s thrilling win, Mitchell, who scored 17 of his team-best 30 points in the fourth quarter, reflected on the Cavaliers’ late-game resiliency. He noted that facing adversity early in the playoffs, rather than coasting to another blowout victory, benefited his squad.
“I love the fact the game happened like this. We had to really find a way as a group, and then we responded,” Mitchell said. “I kept trying to find the mismatch and make a play.”
The one-time All-NBA selectee reached the 30-point mark for the second time in two playoff outings after scoring exactly 30 during Sunday’s 121-100 Game 1 home win.
Mitchell and Co. will look to maintain their momentum and rack up a daunting 3-0 series lead during Saturday’s Game 3 clash in Miami.