David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images
LeBron James may be the franchise icon for the Cleveland Cavaliers, but he played second fiddle to the current star Tuesday.
Donovan Mitchell went into absolute takeover mode in the fourth quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and led the Cavs to a commanding 116-102 victory over James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Cleveland was up just two at the start of the fourth quarter, but Mitchell poured in 17 points in the final period alone with a combination of three-pointers, drives into the lane and transition opportunities, which left no doubt about the outcome by the end.
Social media had nothing but praise for the three-time All-Star as he drew MVP chants from the crowd and dropped 43 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals:
Bleacher Report @BleacherReport
“Go home. Go the f–k home.”
Spida talking his talk after the big three 🔥 pic.twitter.com/NZ7JU2sEz5
Cleveland Cavaliers @cavs
RT if you enjoy @spidadmitchell being on your favorite basketball team 🤗 pic.twitter.com/DpsYT6GCap
Nick Pedone @NickPedone12
There’s a new King in Cleveland and his name is Donovan Mitchell. #LetEmKnow
Nick Pedone @NickPedone12
On the night where LeBron returned to Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell was the best player on the floor.
& it wasn’t really close. #LetEmKnow
From the Lakers’ perspective, the loss snapped a three-game winning streak and dropped their record to 10-13 overall. They have played better of late in large part because Anthony Davis entered Tuesday’s game with 10 straight double-doubles and averages of 34.2 points, 15.4 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game during that stretch.
However, he went to the locker room in the first quarter and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest with flu-like symptoms.
That left the Purple and Gold fighting an uphill battle the rest of the way. James did what he could with a double-double of 21 points and 17 rebounds, while Thomas Bryant played well in Davis’ place with 19 points and nine boards.
Still, they had no answer for Mitchell in crunch time as the Cavaliers improved to 16-9 overall and an impressive 11-1 at home.
The Lakers will look to turn things around Wednesday as they continue their road trip against the Toronto Raptors, but it remains to be seen whether Davis will take the court. Mitchell and the Cavaliers remain at home to face the Sacramento Kings on Friday.
