Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell against the Utah Jazz. ESPN Cleveland/Rob Lorenzo.
Game Night Observations: Mitchell's reunion, old friends everywhere, and what's for dinner
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Danny Cunningham covers the Cleveland Cavaliers for 850 ESPN Cleveland and thelandondemand.com
On a night when it was fair to wonder just what emotions Donovan Mitchell may be feeling prior to tip off against his former team, he and the Cavaliers were in complete control of everything.
The 122-99 win over the Utah Jazz was the most complete game the Cavs have played to date, and showed what their potential as a team can be. Defensively, the Cavs held Utah’s fourth-ranked offense in check for much of the night.
For a night that wasn’t just any normal night, the Cavaliers did a good job of making it seem as such on the floor. Obviously, Monday was another first for Mitchell in a season that’s been filled with them.
His first game with a new team, first time playing at home, first time playing in New York, where he thought he was getting traded to, and now, the first game against his former team. Mitchell is human, and humans obviously have emotions. It would be unfair expect him to table that.
“It’s the day and age of the phone. You have your phone and you’re on Twitter, you’re on Instagram and there are text messages like, ‘Oh do this, do that.’ You feel that. I’m not going to not have my phone and hide from it,” Mitchell said of his emotions following the win. “You feel it and embrace it. You see it and enjoy it.”
Mitchell finished the night with 23 points in just 22 minutes. He shot 8-of-12 from the field and didn’t play in the final 17 minutes of the game due to the Cavaliers having such a large lead. For a player that’s been among the league leaders in minutes for the duration of the season, a partial night like this one was a welcomed sign.
This has become a normal thing in the NBA. Guys all the time mention how this is part of the business side of basketball. We’re in an era where player movement is at an all-time high. Mitchell is part of that in the same way that multiple players on the Jazz – Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, Ochai Agbaji, and Jordan Clarkson – that have played for the Cavaliers are part of it. At first, it’s going to feel odd playing against a former team and former teammates, but then it just becomes basketball.
“We had a great time in Utah. We did so much as a group,” Mitchell said. “Then on the flip side, it’s like man, I want to kick their ass today. So many flowing emotions. But you kind of need to harness those when it’s time to play and that’s what we were able to do tonight.”
Monday night was the latest in a line of many firsts for Mitchell with the Cavaliers. More of them are on the way, too, including what will likely be an emotional trip to Salt Lake City next month to play in his old home arena. But for now, the Cavaliers took care of business on a night when it may have just meant a little bit more than a regular season game in mid-December.
“I mean, we always got his back,” Cedi Osman said. “I've been saying this for a long time now, he's our leader and we knew how much he wanted this win so that's why, I think that we played our best game tonight.”
About the Other Familiar Faces
Games between the Cavs and the Jazz are going to feel like reunions with the shared history the teams now have. Former Cavaliers Markkanen and Clarkson were both in the starting lineup for the Jazz. The pair were the two leading scorers on the night as well, even if Clarkson wasn’t particularly efficient. Markkanen finished with a game-high 24 points – 22 of which came in the first half – while Clarkson had 23 points on 8-of-21 shooting.
Markkanen, of course, was the centerpiece of the trade that landed Mitchell in Cleveland. The two other player parts of the trade, Collin Sexton and first-round draft pick Ochai Agbaji were both in the building, too. Sexton missed the game dealing with a hamstring issue while Agbaji didn’t play until late in the fourth quarter once the result of the game was no longer in doubt.
Sexton was on the bench throughout the game, and postgame he sought out hugs from a number of his former teammates. He and Lamar Stevens -- who was sidelined with a knee injury Monday -- squared off in a game of 'Rock, Paper, Scissors' before embracing.
Markkanen did receive a nice ovation from the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse crowd when he was announced as a member of the starting lineup, but there were no tribute videos shown for either he or Sexton.
The Cavs also have three players on the roster that spent time playing in Utah. Aside from Mitchell, Ricky Rubio spent a pair of seasons with the Jazz and Raul Neto was there for four years.
These organizations have a chance to be connected to each other for quite some time because of the Mitchell trade. While taking a 30,000-foot view at that deal less than four months later it’s easy to say that both sides can be happy with how it’s worked out thus far.
The Cavaliers received a superstar who has exceeded the expectations of many inside the organization as he’s played the best basketball of his career. The Jazz now have a player in Markkanen that can be a franchise pillar for years to come, as well as a useful player in Sexton. It’s still too early to tell just how successful Agbaji will be in the NBA and what will come of any of the future draft picks that the Cavaliers sent over.
It may be a full decade from now until the trade can be fairly assessed on both ends. With Utah owning draft picks from Cleveland in the 2025, 2027, and 2029 drafts, as well as pick swaps in the 2026 and 2028 drafts, it’s likely that the Jazz will be selecting players currently in middle school with some of those selections.
But for now, the Cavaliers are very happy with how the trade has turned out, and it’s difficult to see anything different for the Jazz.
“I look at it as a win-win,” Mitchell said at shootaround on Monday. “You look at everybody's flourishing, and sometimes new beginnings is what you need. That's for both sides.”
Hoops for Breakfast
Aside from Mitchell, the Cavaliers received strong performances from both Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen on Monday night, too. Allen finished with 20 points on a very efficient 7-of-11 shooting to go along with 11 rebounds and three blocked shots.
After the game, Allen was asked what he thought led to such a strong scoring night for him.
“I had breakfast for dinner last night (laughs). I had a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit,” Allen said. “I think that's why I did so well.”
