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Donovan Mitchell's mom called him after Damian Lillard's 71-point game
Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell said he received a call from his mom after Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers went off for 71 points on Sunday night.
Lillard's career-high mark matched Mitchell's 71 points from January for the highest-scoring games in the NBA this season.
My mom calls me and says @Dame_Lillard tied your record… you gotta get 72 now
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) February 27, 2023
"Dame Time" and "Spida" became just the seventh and eighth players in NBA history to score 70 or more points in a game, joining Devin Booker, Wilt Chamberlain, David Robinson, Elgin Baylor, David Thompson and Kobe Bryant.
While both Lillard and Mitchell dropped 71 points and made 22 field goals in their historic performances, that's where the similarities ended.
The Blazers former Rookie of the Year did more than half of his scoring damage from beyond the arc (drilling 13 of his 22 three-point attempts), while the Cavaliers four-time All-Star went "only" 7-for-15 from three-point land. Lillard went a perfect 14-for-14 from the free throw line on Sunday, while Mitchell lived at the line, going 20-for-25 in Cleveland's January overtime win against the Chicago Bulls.
While Lillard added a solid six rebounds and six assists, Mitchell may have had the overall better game, as he contributed 11 assists, eight rebounds and one block. To be fair, Mitchell played 49-plus minutes in his contest, while Lillard was on the court on Sunday for just over 39 minutes.
No matter how fans want to dissect the numbers, there's no doubt that both Lillard and Mitchell had two of the most impressive individual performances in recent memory.
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Six players who could succeed Celtics guard as Sixth Man of the Year
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NFL under fire for decision on Chiefs WR Rashee Rice
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