Coming into the fourth quarter on Friday, the Cleveland Cavaliers were in a surprising 15-point hole while going against a struggling Washington Wizards team.
Cavs superstar Donovan Mitchell put matters into his own hands, scoring 24 of his 48 points in the game in the final 12 minutes.
His efforts helped Cleveland squeeze past the Wizards to win the game, 130-126.
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Donovan Mitchell scores most points in a single quarter this season
Donovan Mitchell's fourth-quarter display was something nobody has done this season.
It was the most points a player has scored in one quarter so far this NBA season, Sam Amico of Hoops Wire reported.
"You’re playing a team that’s 3 and whatever, and you’re down 15, you can kind of tuck your tails and kind of give in, right?" Mitchell told reporters after the game. "But we found a way."
So far in 2025-26, Mitchell is on pace for the best season of his nine-year NBA career. Through 24 games, the 29-year-old guard is posting career-highs in points (31.3), field goal percentage (50.5%), and three-point percentage (39.4%), while adding 4.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.4 steals per game.
Injuries to multiple top players on the Cavaliers roster have resulted in Mitchell having to step up, and the franchise star has done just that.
There's an argument that Mitchell has entered his name into MVP talks so far this season.
In December, Mitchell is averaging 36.2 points per game. He will attempt to keep this hot streak alive while Cleveland takes on the Charlotte Hornets on Dec. 14.
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