NBA roundup: Donovan leads Cavaliers to triumph, while Bucks thrash Celtics

Donovan Mitchell, 27, had a stellar performance in Paris, scoring 45 points and leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 111-102 victory over the Brooklyn Nets as the NBA made its return to France on Thursday. The Cavs’ win was part of a day filled with dominant performances, including the Milwaukee Bucks’ 135-102 victory over the league-leading Boston Celtics and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s impressive 139-77 win against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Mitchell, a four-time NBA All-Star, not only contributed with his scoring but also added six assists and four steals. Expressing his enjoyment of the Paris experience, he expressed a desire to return for the Olympic Games later in the year.

“I’d love to come back and play in the Olympics,” Mitchell stated. He praised Paris as an electric basketball city and expressed gratitude for the incredible experience of playing with the NBA and his teammates. Despite the fun, he emphasized the importance of securing the win.

Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff acknowledged Mitchell’s impactful performance, highlighting his aggressive approach that “set the tone for everybody” on the team. Bickerstaff described Mitchell as phenomenal, providing both the audience and the team with what they came to see and what was needed to secure the victory.

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Mikal Bridges and Cam Thomas both contributed 26 points each for the Brooklyn Nets, but despite their efforts, the team struggled to provide significant resistance as the Cleveland Cavaliers maintained control of the game from start to finish.

Back in Milwaukee, the Bucks displayed an even more dominant performance as they dismantled the Boston Celtics. Reserve player Bobby Portis and two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo both achieved double-doubles for the Bucks, with Portis scoring 28 points and Antetokounmpo adding 24 points, both securing 12 rebounds each.

The turning point in the game came as Portis and Antetokounmpo combined forces to score 20 consecutive points, contributing to a remarkable 25-0 scoring run spanning the first and second quarters. This impressive run extended the Bucks’ lead to 56-23.

Damian Lillard’s 21 points further solidified the Bucks’ performance, leading them to just their second victory in six games. The Celtics, coming off a draining overtime win against the Minnesota Timberwolves the previous night, started slowly and failed to recover. Despite a dunk from Boston’s Oshae Brissett cutting Milwaukee’s lead to 31-21 late in the first quarter, the Celtics went more than six minutes without scoring, with Jaylen Brown finally breaking the drought with a dunk.

Boston coach Joe Mazzulla opted to rest his fatigued starters in the second half, with Jaylen Brown concluding the night with 10 points and Jayson Tatum with seven. Payton Pritchard took the lead in scoring for Boston, contributing 21 points.

Reflecting on the game, Giannis Antetokounmpo noted the Bucks’ effective teamwork and aggressive defensive play that set the tone from the beginning. The Bucks, who had faced challenges with four losses in their last five games, managed to turn things around with a commanding performance.

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla expressed confidence that the game’s outcome was an anomaly, stating, “I trust our character, I trust our team. Things like this happen.”

In Oklahoma City, the trend of one-sided victories persisted as the Thunder achieved a 62-point margin of victory, tying for the fifth-largest in NBA history. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the charge with 31 points, supported by Jalen Williams with 21. The Thunder, boasting a 26-11 record, matched Minnesota for the best record in the Western Conference.

In another lopsided outcome in Los Angeles, Bradley Beal’s 37 points and Devin Booker’s 31 propelled the Phoenix Suns to a 127-109 triumph over the Lakers.

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Superstar LeBron James had a modest scoring night with just 10 points, while Anthony Davis added 13 for the Lakers. The disparity in the score prompted the Lakers’ coaching staff to rest their starters for the entire fourth quarter.

Meanwhile, in Dallas, Kyrie Irving delivered an outstanding performance, scoring 44 points and providing 10 assists as the Mavericks secured a wire-to-wire victory over the New York Knicks with a final score of 128-124. Despite the absence of star player Luka Doncic due to a sprained ankle, Dallas maintained a 20-point lead early in the fourth quarter. The Knicks mounted a fierce comeback, reducing the deficit to just one point with 1:08 remaining in the game. However, Dallas ultimately held on to secure the win.