Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) stands on the court in the second quarter against the Orlando Magic during game one of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Cavaliers' Donovan Mitchell torched the Magic on practically no sleep

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated 4/20/24

The Cleveland Cavaliers knocked off the Orlando Magic, 97-83, to take a 1-0 advantage in the best-of-seven first-round series, largely due to an incredible outing by guard Donovan Mitchell. However, after the game, the five-time All-Star revealed that he led the charge without much sleep.

"I only got three hours, two hours of sleep last night, just cause I was sitting there like hyped," Mitchell said via Bally Sports Cleveland. "Everything that happened tonight — just seeing the towels, the white-out, it's just something you dream about as a kid."

Spida gets the tough And-1 to go with the left ️

He's got a game-high 17 and the Cavs lead in the 3Q on ESPN pic.twitter.com/8VO1gDyidZ
— NBA (@NBA) April 20, 2024

The lack of rest didn't hinder Mitchell, who dropped a game-high 30 points to propel the Cavaliers to a dominant Game 1 victory. The outing was especially promising for Mitchell, who is looking more and more like himself since battling a sore knee. He averaged only 14.3 points in six games played between March 1 and April 6, but he's posted 30.6 points per game over his last three contests.

While Mitchell's health and game have improved, he's also shown maturity as the Cavaliers embark on another playoff run. After dropping three straight games to the New York Knicks to fall 4-1 in the opening round of the 2023 NBA playoffs, the six-year vet is prepared to avoid a repeat of last year's collapse.

"I love this. This is great. But at the same token, this game is over with," Mitchell said. "Just trying to set that tone and now, I got to do it again and again."

Mitchell and the Cavaliers will have the opportunity to take a commanding 2-0 lead over the Magic when they host Orlando on Monday at 7 p.m. ET for Game 2.

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