Career best

Mitchell’s 71 is the best game of his career

Donovan Mitchell had 71 points, 8 rebounds and 11 assists on 22 for 34 shooting in 50 minutes, and the Cavaliers beat the Bulls 145-⁠134.

His Performance Score of +28.4 is the best of his 418 games, better than 99.9% of all player games since 2015-⁠16. It is the second-best game in the NBA this season, behind Damian Lillard’s 60 points on Jan. 25. His 71 points are also the most points he has scored in a game, 14 more than his 57 at Denver on Aug. 17, 2020.

He scored 24 of his 71 in the third quarter. He went 8 for 10 at the rim, 4 for 6 in the paint and 7 for 15 from 3. His 51 points from the field came on 34 shots, 13.8 more than the league scores from the same zones. Caris LeVert set up 3 of his 22 baskets. He scored 8 of his 71 after the game was decided.

His old best, +21.5, was 40 points and 6 assists on 14 for 19 shooting in 33 minutes, a 129-⁠97 win at Phoenix on Feb. 2, 2018.

The game

Cavaliers 145, Bulls 134Home, Jan. 2, 2023Box score and story ›

Donovan Mitchell

20-25 FT49:48 min

Points1st 52nd 113rd 244th 18OT 13

His shots in the order he took them: made in blue, traced to the rim, missed in orange.

Mitchell’s player page

Season high in points (71; his best before, 43). Before this game he averaged 28.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 33 regular-season games.

Shot making: 51 points from the field on 34 shots13.8 more than the league scores from the same zones
Biggest shot: Made a putback4th quarter, 3.0s leftchance to win 8.4% to 53%
Guarded by: Dosunmu: 33 poss, 11 ptsCaruso: 23 poss, 16 ptsJones: 15 poss, 12 pts
He guarded: Dosunmu: 34 poss, 2 ptsCaruso: 17 poss, 0 ptsJones: 16 poss, 4 pts
On the move: 3.48 miles3.86 mph on average122 touches
Hustle: 3 deflections5 shots contested2 loose balls1 box-out
Rating: Performance Score +28.478.9% true shooting40.9% usage

His best games

Rank	Game	Result	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	FG	3PT	FT	TO	+/−	PS
1	Jan. 2, 2023vs CHI	W 145-134	50	71	8	11	0	1	22-34	7-15	20-25	4	+19	+28.4
2	Feb. 2, 2018at PHX	W 129-97	33	40	5	6	2	0	14-19	7-9	5-5	2	+36	+21.5
3	Aug. 17, 2020at DEN, playoffs	L 125-135	43	57	9	7	1	0	19-33	6-15	13-13	5	−11	+18.9
4	Dec. 6, 2022vs LAL	W 116-102	40	43	6	5	4	0	17-27	4-8	5-5	2	+21	+18.5
5	Aug. 30, 2020vs DEN, playoffs	L 107-119	40	44	6	5	3	0	14-25	9-13	7-7	4	+2	+16.9

By Performance Score, his whole career, regular season and playoffs.

His old best

Jazz 129, Suns 97Away, Feb. 2, 2018Box score and story ›

Donovan Mitchell

5-5 FT33:05 min

Points1st 92nd 123rd 84th 11

His shots in the order he took them: made in blue, traced to the rim, missed in orange.

Mitchell’s player page

Season high in 3-pointers (7; his best before, 6). Before this game he averaged 19.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 48 regular-season games.

Shot making: 35 points from the field on 19 shots15.0 more than the league scores from the same zones
Biggest shot: Made a 3-pointer1st quarter, 4:47 leftchance to win 66% to 73%
Guarded by: Jackson: 18 poss, 2 ptsUlis: 10 poss, 3 ptsDaniels: 9 poss, 5 pts
He guarded: Jackson: 18 poss, 0 ptsDaniels: 11 poss, 0 ptsBooker: 11 poss, 2 pts
On the move: 2.33 miles4.25 mph on average58 touches
Hustle: 2 deflections7 shots contested1 loose ball1 box-out
Rating: Performance Score +21.594.3% true shooting29.3% usage