NBA Sends Strong Statement on Donovan Mitchell After Playoff Win

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Rodney Knuppel | Last updated May 10, 2025 12:52 AM ET

Friday night was exactly what the doctor ordered for the Cleveland Cavaliers. After winning 64 games during the regular season and grabbing the top seed in the Eastern Conference, the Cavaliers fell behind 2-0 in the second round to the Indiana Pacers.

But Donovan Mitchell and the rest of the Cavaliers scored 66 points in the first half and cruised to a 126-104 win.

Mitchell was the massive key in this game, scoring a game-high 43 points. He also grabbed nine rebounds and dished out five assists. Anytime the Pacers tried to make a run at Cleveland, Mitchell was there to make sure they got no closer.

Following the game, the NBA sent a strong message about the impact Mitchell had on the game:

"Donovan Mitchell was UNSTOPPABLE in the @cavs Game 3 road win!"

Donovan Mitchell was UNSTOPPABLE in the @cavs Game 3 road win!

️ 43 points
️ 9 rebounds
️ 5 assists
️ 5 threes

Cleveland looks to tie the series Sunday at 8:00pm/et on TNT pic.twitter.com/lNvsm2iVj9
— NBA (@NBA) May 10, 2025

All five of the Cleveland Cavaliers' starters scored in double figures. After Mitchell, it was Max Strus with 20, Jarrett Allen with 19, Evan Mobley added 18 and Darius Garland scored 10.

Mitchell did his scoring on 14-for-29 shooting and 10-for-14 from the free-throw line. So far in this series, Mitchell is scoring 41.3 points per game. During the regular season, the 28-year-old played 71 of the 82 games and scored 24 points per game.

Game 4 of this series will take place on Sunday night in Indianapolis. The series will shift back to Cleveland on Tuesday for Game 5. If Game 6 is needed, that will take place on Thursday, May 15. The finale (Game 7) would take place in Cleveland on May 18.

The winner of this series will play in the Eastern Conference Finals. They will take on the winner of the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks series. After two games in Boston, the Knicks lead the series 2-0, with Game 3 at Madison Square Garden set for Saturday afternoon.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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