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Donovan Mitchell Breaks Michael Jordan Playoff Record in Game 1 Despite Cavs Loss

A record-breaking night for the Cavaliers star, even in a loss.

Liam McKeone

Mitchell had 33 points to open the Cavs' second-round series against the Pacers
Mitchell had 33 points to open the Cavs' second-round series against the Pacers / Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images
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The Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers kicked off the second round of the NBA playoffs on Sunday, playing Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at Rocket Arena. The visiting side proved victorious, as Tyrese Haliburton led the Pacers to an upset 121-112 victory, stealing home court advantage from a Cavs side missing Darius Garland.

Cleveland superstar Donovan Mitchell still has something to celebrate from the defeat, though. With a 33-point night, Mitchell broke a longstanding Michael Jordan playoff record.

Sunday night's performance marked Mitchell's eighth straight Game 1 with 30 points or more. It breaks a tie with Jordan, who had two separate streaks of seven consecutive Game 1 outings with 30-plus points.

Holding such a record demonstrates an incredible display of scoring consistency and generally high levels of play. It's one thing to even play that many postseason series—putting up those kinds of point totals in each and every one is remarkable.

Mitchell would undoubtedly trade the record for a win, but as far as consolation prizes go, replacing Jordan's name in the record books isn't too bad.

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Liam McKeone
LIAM MCKEONE

Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.

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