Donovan Mitchell demanding more from the Cavaliers ahead of San Antonio clash

Donovan Mitchell is leading the war cry for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who do battle with the San Antonio Spurs tonight (Friday).

From second in mid-November to eighth less than a month later, the Cavs are in freefall, having dropped four of their last five and, after a flicker of light in their dominant win over Indiana, found the lights switched off brutally to the Portland Trail Blazers in Cleveland’s last game.

Mitchell is unhappy but refuses to panic. He knows that things have to change.

"Right now, we're not where we want to be, not where we need to be," said Mitchell, who is fourth in the NBA for points, averaging 30.7 per game.

"We can't lose three in a row, have a promising performance against Indiana and then come out and do this.

"No matter who's out there, no matter who's playing, no matter what we're doing, we all have to have it. But at some point, we've got to, as a collective, do it."

Dec 1, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) in the second half against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Unfortunately, as is customary for the Cavaliers, they have been hit with a plethora of injuries and will go into their clash with the Spurs light on the ground.

The Cavs will not have center Jarrett Allen (right finger strain) or three-point marksman Sam Merrill (right hand sprain).

Darius Garland will also be absent to manage his return from a toe injury, and Tyrese Proctor is out due to personal reasons; the latter also missed the game against the Trail Blazers.

"We just have to be better," Mitchell emphatically said. "I don't really have another message than that."

The Spurs continue their long stretch of games and are getting the job done during a challenging nine-city adventure over an 18-day span.

They edged out a fierce Orlando Magic side 114-112 on the sixth stop on the trip. They are currently 4-2 on their trek, which has seen them play only one home game - a 126-119 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday - between November 21 and December 16.

The Spurs will be without Victor Wembanyama, who is out due to a calf injury. However, since the Frenchman sat out on November 14, San Antonio has relied a lot more on the 7’1” Luke Kornet.

He is averaging career highs of 7.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.6 blocked shots and 24.9 minutes. Wembanyama is hopeful to return for the NBA Cup quarterfinals on December 10.