PHILADELPHIA — It wasn’t easy, but the Cleveland Cavaliers saw their season-opening winning streak hit a baker’s dozen Wednesday night.
Thanks to Donovan Mitchell pouring in 13 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers became the sixth team in NBA history to win at least 13 consecutive games to begin a season by claiming a 114-106 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, who were without All-Stars Tyrese Maxey, Paul George and Joel Embiid.
“We’re just sticking together,” said Darius Garland, who led Cleveland with 25 points. “Just taking it game by game. We know we’ve got a target on our back, so we’ve got to come in with that aggressiveness and that confidence that we’re going to win every game, and that’s what we’ve been doing. Even though like I said, long nights, not a lot of sleep, but we’ve got to stay together and just continue just to be great. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
Of the previous five teams to start 13-0, four made the NBA Finals but only the 1993-94 Houston Rockets won the title, according to ESPN Research.
Despite Mitchell’s outstanding play down the stretch, he was beating himself up after the game for passing out of a wide-open dunk late in the contest in an attempt to chase his first triple-double — something he said he apologized to his teammates for, and which he followed up by hitting a couple of 3-pointers to officially put the pesky 76ers away.
“I’m not going to lie,” Mitchell said with a sheepish smile. “It’s been eight years. I mean, if there’s any indication, was passing up a wide-open dunk. That’s out of character, it’s not me. That’s why I didn’t get it. You don’t get rewarded for not being yourself.
“It was a selfish moment. … We all have those moments, but I apologize to Cav fans, to my teammates. That’s not me. And that’s why I didn’t get it because I go do something selfish. It wasn’t selfless, like I’ve been preaching myself.”
