Donovan Mitchell sat slouched in his locker chair, his white leggings torn and a blood stain marking his healthy knee. Despite scoring an impressive 33 points, Mitchell didn’t receive enough support from his teammates as the Cleveland Cavaliers fell short against the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, losing 106-93.
Mitchell seemed to worsen a left knee injury in the fourth quarter and left the game early for treatment. With Game 4 looming, the Cavs faced a quick turnaround.
The Cavs couldn’t replicate their strong Game 2 performance in Boston, faltering on their home court due to a sluggish start in the third quarter. The Celtics capitalized, scoring the first 14 points and building a commanding 23-point lead.
J.B. Bickerstaff gestures to a referee in the gameReflecting on the game, Mitchell acknowledged areas for improvement, noting the team’s offensive struggles despite attempting 36 3-pointers. Defensively, they held the Celtics to 106 points, but the game felt more challenging due to Boston’s scoring bursts.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown led the charge for the Celtics, combining for 61 points and making 13 3-pointers, a significant improvement from Game 2. While Mitchell attempted to counter their performance with 7 successful 3-pointers of his own, he lacked support from his teammates, who collectively made only 5 of 24 attempts from beyond the arc.
