Donovan Mitchell Leads Cavaliers to Narrow Victory

Donovan Mitchell’s last-second basket secured the Cleveland Cavaliers’ unbeaten start to the NBA season, delivering a thrilling 114-113 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. With just 10 seconds remaining, the Bucks seemed poised for victory after Damian Lillard’s jumper gave them the lead. However, Mitchell’s clutch response nudged the Cavs back in front before Lillard’s buzzer-beater attempt bounced harmlessly off the backboard, sealing the win for Cleveland.

This victory keeps the Cavaliers atop the Eastern Conference with a perfect 7-0 record, their best start since 1976. In contrast, the Bucks find themselves struggling, sitting near the bottom of the standings with only one win in six games. Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 30 points, four assists and three rebounds, expressing pride in the team’s resilience: “That’s a big win. They played their behinds off. As a group, we just continue to fight and claw.”

For the Bucks, Lillard shone with a remarkable 41 points, alongside nine assists and four rebounds while Giannis Antetokounmpo contributed 34 points and 16 rebounds. Reflecting on the team’s challenges, Lillard noted, “I’ve been in the league 13 years and I’ve had my share of rough nights… The only way to go from there is back to work and keep your mind right.”

Meanwhile, the Oklahoma City Thunder remained the only other unbeaten team after defeating the Los Angeles Clippers 105-92, marking a historic start with six consecutive wins. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 25 points and nine assists and all six wins have come by at least 12 points.

In other notable results, Nikola Jokic scored 27 points to guide the Denver Nuggets to a 129-103 victory over the winless Utah Jazz while the defending champion Boston Celtics improved to 6-1 with a 113-103 win against the Charlotte Hornets.