Mitchell leads Cavaliers past Celtics in comeback thriller
Donovan Mitchell erupted for 35 points, including 20 in the fourth quarter, as the Cleveland Cavaliers staged a dramatic 115-111 comeback win over the Boston Celtics on Sunday.
Mitchell’s late-game heroics helped the Cavaliers erase a 14-point deficit, avenging last month’s narrow loss to the reigning NBA champions. “For us, we’ve got to go out there and make a statement,” Mitchell said. “We had two losses that really hurt. We weren’t playing like ourselves. We needed this win.”
The Cavaliers, who led 51-49 at halftime, trailed 84-72 after a third-quarter surge by Jayson Tatum, who scored 17 of his 33 points in the period. Mitchell responded in the fourth, hitting key baskets, including a floater that gave Cleveland a 103-101 lead with just over a minute remaining.
Darius Garland added 22 points, including clutch free throws late, to seal the victory. The win snapped Cleveland’s two-game losing streak and improved their record to 18-3, keeping them atop the Eastern Conference.
The Celtics, missing Jaylen Brown and Derrick White, saw their seven-game winning streak end, falling to 16-4. Mitchell praised Boston, saying, “You’ve got to respect them. They’re champions for a reason.”
Elsewhere, Fred VanVleet scored 38 points to lead Houston over Oklahoma City, while Victor Wembanyama posted a triple-double in San Antonio’s win at Sacramento.
(Source: AFP)
