Donovan Mitchell was the star of the show as the Cleveland Cavaliers recovered from a slow start to claim victory against the reigning NBA champions the Boston Celtics.
Mitchell scored 41 points as the Cavaliers, currently top of the Eastern Conference with this season’s best record of 49-10, recorded their seventh straight away victory and ninth consecutive overall with a 123-116 win.
A clash between the Eastern Conference’s top two teams saw Cleveland trail by 22 points less than five minutes in but Mitchell and co. eventually turned the contest in the league leaders’ favour, with the 28-year-old shooting guard hitting 26 points in the second-half.
Mitchell called the victory “a measuring stick” after the Celtics beat Cleveland in the second round of last season’s play-offs.
“These guys [Boston] have won a championship and we want to continue to get to where they’re at,” Mitchell added.
“The biggest thing is we fought. The biggest thing is just resiliency.”
Donovan Mitchell brought his best to Boston in the Cavs’ 9th straight win!
🕷️ 41 PTS (26 in 2H)
🕷️ 5 AST
🕷️ 5 3PMSuperstar performance on the biggest stage. pic.twitter.com/wu8lL5zi67
— NBA (@NBA) March 1, 2025
In the Western Conference, the LA Lakers claimed the city bragging rights as they ran out 106-102 winners against rivals the LA Clippers.
Luka Doncic, celebrating his 26th birthday, scored a game-high 31 points, with LeBron James adding 28 points and 13 rebounds.
Ivica Zubac led a late charge by the Clippers, registering 27 points and 16 rebounds, but the Lakers were not to be denied a fifth-straight victory.
Elsewhere, Western Conference leaders Oklahoma City Thunder moved to a 48-11 record this term after cruising to a 135-119 victory over the Atlanta Hawks, while Nikola Jokic, the NBA’s reigning MVP, bagged his 28th triple-double of the season as the Denver Nuggets as they ended the Detroit Pistons’ eight-game winning streak.
Jokic scored 23 points with 17 rebounds and 15 assists as the Nuggets won 134-119. Denver guard Jamal Murray led all scorers with 31 points and team-mate Michael Porter Jr had a 28-point haul.
