Donovan Mitchell with 71 Points vs. Chicago Bulls, 01/02/2023
A 70-point game is a rarity in the NBA: just 11 in league history, heading into 2023.
Make it 12. Monday night, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell did the unimaginable, erupting for a career-high 71 points to notch an incredible 145-134 overtime victory against the Chicago Bulls.
New Year New Me😂… 71 of them thangs ‼️‼️ pic.twitter.com/eqTSqAEKk8
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) January 3, 2023
He becomes just the seventh player in NBA history to score 70 or more in a game, and the first since Devin Booker in 2017. Mitchell’s total marked the most points in a game by any player since Kobe Bryant’s 81 in January 2006.
NBA Single Game Leaders In Points
| Name | Date | Points |
| Wilt Chamberlain | March 2, 1962 | 100 |
| Kobe Bryant | Jan. 22, 2006 | 81 |
| Wilt Chamberlain | Dec. 8, 1961 | 78 |
| David Thompson | April 9, 1978 | 73 |
| Wilt Chamberlain | Nov. 16, 1962 | 73 |
| Wilt Chamberlain | Jan. 13, 1962 | 73 |
| Wilt Chamberlain | Nov. 3, 1962 | 72 |
| David Robinson | April 24, 1994 | 71 |
| Elgin Baylor | Nov. 15, 1960 | 71 |
| Donovan Mitchell | Jan. 2, 2023 | 71 |
| Devin Booker | March 24, 2017 | 70 |
| Wilt Chamberlain | March 10, 1963 | 70 |
Mitchell, who is playing his first season in Cleveland after being traded from Utah during the offseason, set a new scoring record for the Cavaliers, breaking the mark previously co-held by LeBron James and Kyrie Irving (57 points).
The 26-year-old guard looked unstoppable when his team needed him most. After making his first free throw to cut the lead to two with 4.4 seconds left, Mitchell intentionally missed his second attempt, only to grab the miss and hit a layup to tie things up at 130 apiece. Chicago’s DeMar DeRozan looked to silence Cleveland fans at the buzzer but missed a long 3-pointer, leaving overtime to decide the outcome.
Mitchell needed 13 points in the extra period to complete his 71-point outpour. He also finished the game with eight rebounds and 11 assists; no player to score 70 prior had also dished double-digits.
After the game, Mitchell’s teammates were ready to celebrate the epic performance and the victory, dousing him with plenty of water while players from around the league praised his performance from afar on social media.