All-Star Donovan Mitchell netted 71 points to lift the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 145-134 overtime win over the Chicago Bulls on Monday night. In addition to being the highest score by a single NBA player in 17 years, Mitchell’s 71 points tally also set a franchise record for the Cavs.
This is the most points scored by an individual player in a single game since Kobe Bryant’s 81-point haul for the Los Angeles Lakers against the Toronto Raptors on January 22, 2006. The highest-ever tally in NBA history still belongs to Wilt Chamberlain, who scored 100 points for Philadelphia against New York on March 2, 1962.
“To be there in the record book with guys like Wilt is truly humbling,” Mitchell commented after the game. “I always believed I could be one of the best players in the league. I’m speechless and blessed to be in the company of that greatness.”
Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff labeled Mitchell’s performance as being one of the greatest in NBA history, while also commending the player for putting himself out there for his team.
With that victory, the Cavs remain in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings, safely within reach of a playoff spot.
