After the Indiana Pacers stunned them by taking the first two games of the Eastern Conference semifinals on their home court, the Cleveland Cavaliers badly needed a win in Game 3 to stop the bleeding.
They certainly got the job done on Friday. Donovan Mitchell ensured they would do just that by scoring 43 points, and Cleveland cruised to a 126-104 win that put it on the board in this series.
Mitchell also scored 48 points in a heartbreaking 120-119 loss in Game 2 when Cleveland blew what was a 119-112 lead with under a minute left. He is now the only player in franchise history other than LeBron James to post back-to-back 40-point games in the playoffs.
Donovan Mitchell joins LeBron James as the only Cavaliers with back-to-back 40-point games in the postseason đź‘Ź pic.twitter.com/vAwckne9PE
— ESPN BET (@ESPNBET) May 10, 2025
During the regular season, the Cavaliers looked like they were a lock to, at the very least, reach the Eastern Conference Finals. They finished with a 64-18 record, and they were first in both points per game and offensive rating.
Mitchell, who is in his third season with them, saw his numbers dip somewhat. But it was likely a result of other players stepping up rather than his experiencing a decline in his productivity.
He has long been a big-game performer, especially in the playoffs. During the 2020 postseason, he had three games of at least 44 points and two 50-point games when his Utah Jazz lost in the first round to the Denver Nuggets.
Game 4 against the Pacers will take place on Sunday in Indianapolis, and another win by the Cavaliers would essentially make it a new best-of-three series with Game 5 and Game 7 (if necessary) taking place at Rocket Arena in Northeast Ohio.
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