The Miami Heat put up a formidable fight in their Game 1 matchup against the No. 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night. The Cavs, however, pulled away in the fourth quarter by outscoring Miami, 34-21, which ultimately led to Cleveland securing a blowout win at home, 121-100. Donovan Mitchell caught fire in this one, finishing with 30 points on 11-of-19 shooting, to go along with five rebounds, four assists, four steals and two triples in 33 minutes of action. This represented another strong start for the six-time All-Star in the NBA Playoffs, which has now become a habit for Mitchell. A testament to this fact is how the 6-foot-3 guard has scored 30 or more points in seven straight Game 1’s.
NBA Stats revealed the historic news via X shortly after the final buzzer, while also stating that the only other player in history to ever achieve this feat is none other than the great Michael Jordan. The NBA just had to react to Mitchell’s incredible milestone.
In last season’s playoffs, Mitchell dropped 38 points in Game 1 against the New York Knicks. The Cavs, however, lost that game, 101-97. Cleveland won Game 2, but ended up losing the next three games as they saw their postseason run come to a heartbreaking end in the first round. Mitchell will want to make amends this year, and he’s off to a great start. The Heat are a very dangerous opponent, though, and Mitchell and the rest of the Cavs will need to keep their foot on the gas for Game 2 on Wednesday.
