Donovan Mitchell was back. The crowd at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse was fired up, the energy was electric, and Cleveland had a chance to extend its historic 16-game winning streak. But instead of celebrating another victory, the Cavaliers walked off the court with a tough 108-103 loss to the Orlando Magic.
Now, don’t get it twisted—Mitchell had his moments. He dropped 23 points, grabbed six boards, and dished out five assists. But something felt off. His rhythm wasn’t quite there, and the shooting struggles were hard to ignore. He went just 9-for-28 from the field, a brutal 32.1%, and an even rougher 3-for-14 from three. And honestly? He wasn’t the only one struggling.
Cleveland, as a team, just couldn’t buy a three. They shot 10-for-40 from deep—25% on their home floor. That’s not going to win many games, especially against a young, hungry Orlando squad. After the game, head coach Kenny Atkinson didn’t sugarcoat it.
Nov 9, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson reacts in the first quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
“I know Sam had that one in the corner. We could have gone up 11—misses it. I think Dre had one in the corner—missed that one. It’s like, man, those go in, do you break out and get the win?” Atkinson said. “We obviously did not shoot it well, but I told the guys in the locker room, listen, man, 16 in a row, we had a couple of these games where they went our way. This is one that didn’t.“
Kenny’s frustration was clear—Cleveland had its chances, but the shots just wouldn’t fall. The team had seen these kinds of games go their way during the streak, but this time, the breaks didn’t come.
Shooting wasn’t the only problem, though. Atkinson pointed to other areas where the Cavs fell short, saying, “When they don’t go in, you have to be more perfect, you know, defensively. And we were—I thought we were really good most of the game but not perfect, obviously.”
Beyond the missed threes, Cleveland’s offensive rhythm faltered in crunch time. Atkinson noted that while they wanted to keep the ball in their stars’ hands, the execution wasn’t where it needed to be, leading to rushed and difficult attempts.
Mitchell’s Late-Game Decision-Making Under the Microscope
Alright, let’s talk about those final minutes because that’s where things really started slipping. With the game on the line, you want your best players to step up, and Cleveland had two of the best in Mitchell and Darius Garland. But instead of running crisp plays or creating open looks, the offense stalled. The ball stuck in their hands, possessions dragged, and suddenly, the Cavs were settling for forced, contested jumpers.
“You want to get the ball into your best players’ hands,” Atkinson admitted. “How we did that wasn’t great. This will be a learning film. What could we have done better? I did feel like we got stuck in neutral with those guys. They were forced to take some bad shots.“
Orlando’s defense had a lot to do with that. Atkinson broke down what went wrong, saying, “They stay at home on your drives. A lot of teams help in on the penetration because they got—you know, they’re in a drop and they got that big back there… I felt like the second half we didn’t get any cuts, they took away our cut game, and again they kind of played the pick and roll two on two instead of helping in, and that really slowed us.”
And that’s exactly what happened. Instead of Cleveland’s usual balanced, well-spaced attack, it turned into a whole lot of solo-ball. Mitchell, for all his scoring brilliance, couldn’t get clean looks, and it cost them. Give Orlando credit—they locked in defensively and made sure ‘The 216’ worked for everything in those closing possessions.
Jan 24, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) in a game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Even with the loss, Mitchell being back in the lineup is still huge for this team. He is averaging 24.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.8 assists a night—he’s the engine of this offense. But this game was a reminder that even the best players have nights where the shots don’t fall, and decision-making becomes the difference between winning and losing.
And let’s not forget—they were without Evan Mobley, who’s dealing with a right foot contusion. That absence was felt big time. Without him, Cleveland had no real inside presence, forcing Mitchell and Garland to carry even more of the offensive load. And when those shots aren’t dropping, that’s a tough spot to be in.
So yeah, the streak is over. But the season isn’t. ‘The Spida’ is back, the Cavs are still one of the most dangerous teams in the league, and now, they get to take this loss, learn from it, and get ready for what really matters—the playoffs.
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