The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Brooklyn Nets 111-102 on Thursday in the NBA’s third regular-season game in Paris, led by a season-high 45 points from Donovan Mitchell.
Mitchell scored forty points for the sixteenth time in his two Cleveland seasons. Along with LeBron James, he became the first Cavaliers player to finish a game with at least 45 points, 10 boards, five assists, and three steals. He also added 12 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals.
When the Olympics are held in Paris this summer, he hopes to add James to the list of American men’s basketball gold medal winners.
Mitchell said, “I’d love to come back and play in the Olympics.” “This city is a very electric basketball city.”
After trimming a 26-point deficit to single digits, Mitchell’s rapid start gave the Cavaliers a lead they would never relinquish. In the fourth quarter, he scored 21 points, including four 3-pointers after starting 0-for-6 from beyond the arc.
“We did some really good things in the second half, and his ability to just put that ball in the hole is a difference maker,” Jacque Vaughn, the Nets coach, said.
In Cleveland’s first regular season game outside of North America, Caris LeVert scored 21 points, while Jarrett Allen had his eighth consecutive career-best double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. After winning four games in a row, the Cavaliers improved to 9-3 since December 16.
The Nets, who have lost 12 of their previous 15 games, equaled their poorest half of the season with 34 points in the first half, thanks to 26 points each from Mikal Bridges and Cam Thomas. In lieu of starting guards Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith, who were both injured and saw little action, Lonnie Walker IV scored 20 points.
In front of an audience that included former NBA players Tony Parker and Joakim Noah, as well as French soccer sensation Kylian Mbappé, the Nets’ problems prevented the NBA from putting on much of a show.
But better basketball is ahead.
The US, which has won four gold medals in men’s basketball at the Olympics, may have a formidable team this summer, according to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
At a pregame press conference, Silver said, “I believe that a love of competition and a love of this market, seemingly all the marquee U.S. NBA players want to participate.”
He also said that the NBA plans to visit France the following season, maybe with many games played by the clubs who were chosen. With a record 14 players on opening-night rosters this season, led by No. 1 choice Victor Wembanyama, France has emerged as one of the league’s most significant markets, topping all other European and Middle Eastern countries in terms of NBA-branded retail sales.
After Mitchell scored the opening six points of the game, Cleveland jumped out to a 16–4 advantage. The Cavs led 54-34 at the half, and early in the third, Mitchell’s layup gave them their biggest advantage at 60-34.
Donovan seems prepared for the situation, according to Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff. “We talked about beforehand how special this game was to be a part of, what it means for the NBA to select you to come over here and represent the league and the game of basketball on a worldwide stage, and I thought Donovan was phenomenal at giving the audience and us what they came to see and what we needed to go and win the game.”
After Nets center Nic Claxton dunked and mocked the seasoned center, Cleveland’s Tristan Thompson was sent off early in the fourth quarter for flagrantly fouling the player.
Due to right knee pain, starting guard Max Strus missed the last three quarters of the Cavaliers’ game along with Darius Garland (broken jaw) and Evan Mobley (knee surgery).
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