Donovan Mitchell Lifts Cleveland Cavaliers Over Boston Celtics In OT

The Cleveland Cavaliers scraped past a reeling Boston Celtics squad on Monday night, topping their Eastern conference rivals 118-114 in overtime. Donovan Mitchell was the hero of the evening, compiling 40 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists.

40 PTS, 11 REB and 4 AST in the OT victory 🕷

Donovan Mitchell took OVER in the fourth to force overtime and lead the @cavs to the win! pic.twitter.com/yZcyB1v4I0
— NBA (@NBA) March 7, 2023

Mitchell put in a hard night's work against a Celtics team that was down Jayson Tatum and Al Horford after an exhausting double-overtime loss to the New York Knicks on Sunday night. In a little over 47 minutes, Mitchell hit 14 of 34 field goal attempts and eight of eight free throws. Amazingly, it was his eighth 40+ point game of the season. Mitchell has rewarded the Cavaliers' bold trade for him this offseason with a career year; he's averaging 27.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game with a personal-best .612 true shooting percentage.

The win moves the Cavaliers to 41-26, good for fourth in the Eastern Conference. Mitchell's arrival (and Darius Garland's ascension) has pulled them out of the mire of the post-LeBron James era, and they appear poised to make the playoff for the first time since losing the Finals following the 2017-18 season. Given their relative freshness, there's no telling what they can accomplish this year or in the years to come. The future is bright again in Cleveland.

The Cavaliers are back in action on Wednesday night when they visit the Miami Heat.