Cavs questions linger even after another Donovan Mitchell masterclass

The Cavaliers beat the Wizards on Friday, which is what they were supposed to do. The way they did it, however, was less reassuring.

Cleveland needed every bit of Donovan Mitchell’s 48 points, including 24 in the fourth quarter, to escape Washington with a 130-126 win. That is not usually how games against 3-20 teams are drawn up, but this one turned into a reminder of how thin the margin can get when focus drifts.

As if the Cavs (15-11) needed another reminder this season.

“You’re playing a team that’s 3 and whatever, and you’re down 15, you can kind of tuck your tails,” Mitchell said afterward. “But we found a way.”

Mitchell didn’t just find a way. He forced one. His fourth-quarter outburst was the highest-scoring quarter by any player in the NBA this season, a stat that feels impressive and mildly alarming at the same time.

The Cavs needed him to rescue them. Again.

That is both the comfort and the concern. Cleveland knows exactly who it can lean on when things wobble. It also knows how often that lean becomes a crutch. Against better teams, the escape hatch is not always there.

Friday went down as a win in the standings. The film, though, probably tells a longer story.