“He gets so many people on the offensive side for us. You really have to take care of him,” Garland said. “You have to respect what he does and open up a lot of things to everyone.”
The Cavaliers beat the Pelicans by a final score of 116-95 to improve their situation. 42-24 on the season. Mitchell finished with 14 points, four rebounds and five assists in his return while shooting 5 of 16 from the field and 4 of 9 from beyond the arc.
Garland benefited greatly from Mitchell’s presence on the field. The Vanderbilt product had 27 points and 11 assists while shooting 10 of 16 overall and 6 of 10 from 3.
With Mitchell on the floor, the Pelicans couldn’t charge Garland.
The Cavaliers made 20 3-pointers against the Pelicans. Six players scored in double figures.
“That’s how we’re supposed to play,” Mitchell said. “Move the ball, get stops. It was just fun to watch and participate in. We really faced a great team. It was beautiful.”
The Cavaliers are in second place in the Eastern Conference standings. They are 18th in the NBA in points per game and fourth in points per game allowed.
“If we’re open, we want to take them. It makes our offense stronger because people have to get after us,” Cavaliers head coach JB Bickerstaff said. “We tried to make 3-point shooting a weapon and I thought we did a great job tonight.”
Mitchell is averaging 27.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.1 assists this season, while Garland is averaging 19.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 6.3 assists. Both All-Stars will need to play at a high level in the 2024 playoffs for the Cavaliers to make a deep run.
