Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts during the second quarter against the Washington Wizards at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on October 23, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. Jason Miller/Getty Images/AFP
Donovan Mitchell scored 37 points to lift the host Cleveland Cavaliers to a 117-107 overtime victory over the Washington Wizards on Sunday.
Mitchell has a franchise-record three straight games of at least 30 points to start the season. The offseason acquisition’s 100 points are the most by a Cleveland player since Austin Carr scored 90 in 1974-75.
Cedi Osman scored 16 points off the bench and Jarrett Allen collected 15 points and 14 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who played their second straight game without All-Star guard Darius Garland (eye).
Donovan Mitchell was MONEY tonight in the Cavs' OT win.
37 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST, 3 STL#KiaTipOff22 pic.twitter.com/2XUfxe3ZgY
— NBA (@NBA) October 24, 2022
Bradley Beal scored 27 points and Kristaps Porzingis added 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Wizards, who sustained their first loss of the season.
Kyle Kuzma missed two free throws at one end and committed a foul at the other on Mitchell, who converted the three-point play to give Cleveland a 108-106 lead with 1:43 remaining in overtime. Kuzma fouled Osman on another three-point play and Mitchell added a mid-range jumper to effectively seal the win.
Cleveland held a 103-96 lead with under one minute remaining in the fourth quarter before Porzingis sank a 3-pointer, Beal added a pair of free throws and Will Barton stole the ball and made a dunk to forge a 103-103 tie. Mitchell was unable to make a wide-open 3-pointer just before the buzzer.
Dean Wade’s 3-pointer to begin the fourth quarter pushed Cleveland’s lead to 86-76 before Delon Wright and Barton sandwiched conversions from beyond the arc around Rui Hachimura’s dunk to pull within two.
Cleveland scored 17 of the first 25 points of the third quarter to claim a 74-59 lead before Monte Morris sank a 3-pointer and joined Beal with another basket. Washington scored eight straight points to pull within four before Mitchell sank a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Porzingis drained a pair of 3-pointers and added a dunk as the Wizards bolted out of the blocks to take a 13-3 lead. The Cavaliers, however, successfully erased the deficit after Wade’s layup gave the team a 30-29 lead with 1:03 remaining in the first quarter.
Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona was in attendance at Sunday’s game.