The Cleveland Cavaliers put together a statement win against the Indiana Pacers in Game 3 on Friday night.
Inspired by Donovan Mitchell, the Cavs secured a 126-104 victory — their first of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Mitchell dropped 43 points as Cleveland bounced back in the playoffsGettySix-time All-Star Mitchell finished with 43 points, nine rebounds and five assists, shooting 48 percent from the floor and 38 percent from behind the arc.
Not only was this one of the best performances NBA fans have seen in the playoffs so far this year, but he also made franchise history with his impressive stat line.
Mitchell joins LeBron James as the only two players in Cavs history who have recorded back-to-back 40-plus point games in the postseason.
A number of his eye-catching plays on Friday came as he refused to let another fourth-quarter lead slip away from Cleveland.
With home fans on their feet, expecting their Pacers to cut what had been a 24-point deficit to single digits, he took the game into his own hands.
Mitchell hit a 13-foot fadeaway, then a pull-up 3-pointer and finally found Max Strus for another 3, as the Cavaliers went on to a 22-point victory.
“I couldn’t let it happen again, and it wasn’t just me,” he said after his impressive performance.
“I know I scored, but like, we got stops, made plays. For me, just trying to be the aggressor.”
With a big win, the Cavs are now bidding to make a historic turnaround.
Eliminating the Pacers, who have the biggest star of the NBA playoffs, was never going to be an easy assignment, but nobody realistically expected Cleveland to be down 2-0 earlier this week.
Mitchell inspired the Cavs as they began their bid for a historic playoffs comebackGetty LeBron also had an impressive output in the playoffs for ClevelandGettyTo advance, the Cavaliers will need to accomplish a rare feat, as only five teams in NBA history have come back to win a series after losing the first two at home.
Going on the road in the playoffs is supposed to be a difficult environment, one that should put the visitors at a serious disadvantage.
But results have shown otherwise thus far in these playoffs. Heading into Friday’s action, visiting teams were 6-2 in the Conference Semifinals.
Cleveland’s win at Gainbridge Fieldhouse continued that trend, and the road team has won all three games of this series so far.
The Pacers will have another chance to break that on Sunday in Game 4, but the Cavs will be looking to extend it, and tie the series 2-2.
Cleveland were also boosted by the returns of Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and De’Andre Hunter on Friday night, the three star players who sat out Game 2 because of injuries.
Mobley, Garland and Hunter all returned for the Cavs in Game 3GettyHead coach Kenny Atkinson said the Cavs are a ‘different team’ with that trio, and added that he wasn’t sure until less than an hour before tip off whether they would play.
Atkinson wanted to see how all three players came out of a pregame workout on the court before the decision was made.
However, with the team facing a 2-0 hole entering the clash, they knew they were running out of time.
“It was kind of now or never,” Atkinson said.
“You’re banged up and you’re hurting. They showed a lot of fortitude.”
The decision to bring back three stars paid off, and the Cavs have now kicked off their bid to become just the sixth NBA team to come back and win a series after losing the first two at home.
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