Cavs Quotes and Notes: What Donovan Mitchell Said About Dennis Schroder After Game 5

The Cleveland Cavaliers escaped Game 5 with a victory. Here's what Donovan Mitchell said after Dennis Schroder's big game on Wednesday night.

Apr 29, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) throws a no-look pass against the Toronto Raptors in the third quarter of game five of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers escaped Game 5 against the Toronto Raptors after a stellar second half.

Cavs superstar Donovan Mitchell was sidelined for much of the fourth quarter as a lineup featuring Dennis Schroder and James Harden finally started to figure out the Raptors.

Schroder scored 19 points in Game 5, with 11 huge points in the fourth quarter to help the Cavaliers secure a 125-120 victory over the Raptors. Mitchell explained that Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson asked him and Evan Mobley about going back into the game during the fourth quarter, but he wanted to stay on the sideline since Schroder was in a groove.

Why Donovan Mitchell didn't want to come back in during fourth quarter

“You ride the hot hand, you don’t make a sub,” Mitchell said. “When you got guys in a group that’s really closing the game out, you stick with it no matter who is out there on the floor.”

Mitchell said that Schroder spoke at length during halftime about what he was seeing and what the team needed to do better as a group. The Cavs struggled mightily in the first half, and it looked like they could’ve been heading towards another disappointing upset.

“When you have a leader like that, a guy who has been there in those moments, to stay levelheaded as a collective, he really led the charge,” Mitchell said about Schroder’s impact in Game 5.

Schroder only played in 30 games for the Cavaliers after a trade sent him from the Sacramento Kings with Keon Ellis to Cleveland for De’Andre Hunter.

“That’s why you make the moves you make for guys like that,” Mitchell said. “For moments like that. There’s times where Dennis has got it going and you ride the hot hand.”

The veteran guard had been a bright spot throughout Cleveland’s second half, helping the Cavs lock up the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference after a turbulent start to the season. 

But as minutes shrink in the NBA postseason, Schroder's exact role came into question.

In Games 1 and 2, Schroder played 12 and 13 minutes and the Cavs took a 2-0 lead against the Raptors. In Game 3’s loss in Toronto, Schroder only played five minutes. His playing time increased back to 13 minutes in Game 4, but the Cavs dropped that game against the Raptors and came back to Cleveland with the series tied.

In Game 5, Schroder was ready. He played 21 minutes and kept Cleveland’s season and NBA title hopes alive. 

The Cavaliers will travel to Toronto for Game 6, where they will need better minutes out of Mitchell. But they should continue to ride the hot hand of Schroder, also.