Cavaliers: Donovan Mitchell puts latest loss on himself, as Cleveland continues to struggle

The Cavaliers' 119-111 overtime loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday fell squarely on the broad shoulders of Donovan Mitchell. Why, you ask? Because he said so. The six-time All-Star scored 17 points — more than 13 under his average — and dished out seven assists. However, his shooting was off the mark, as he connected on just 6-of-24 attempts from the field, including a brick-like 1-of-11 from the 3-point line. "I had one of those nights in a situation when I'm not allowed to have one of those nights," he said. The shorthanded Cavs (15-12) can't succeed when Mitchell has a below-average game. He was coming off a sensational 48-point effort against the Washington Wizards on Friday, and Cleveland needed every one of them to rally past one of the worst teams in the NBA. The same scenario presented itself Sunday, only this time Mitchell wasn't there to rescue the struggling Cavs. "I feel that if I had played better, we win that game," he said. "We competed and fought, but if I'm just half of myself tonight, we win. That's on me." Cleveland is hard to figure out right now. It's missing several key pieces to injuries — Evan Mobley, Sam Merrill and Max Strus, to name a few — but still has the necessary ingredients to win, especially against the basement dwellers. A lot of the problems stem from the lack of effort. The Cavs often sleepwalk through three quarters and try to capture the game in the fourth. "We have to finish possessions," Mitchell said. "It hurts when you do something well and the ball goes through your legs and out of bounds. Our process is solid. We just can't go at 75%. We have to go at 100." Mitchell, who leads the NBA with 101 3-pointers, is averaging 30.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists. He's shooting .494 from the field, .381 from long distance and .841 from the foul line. He said he heard the boos raining down from the rafters at Rocket Arena. "Of course," Mitchell said. "I've been a fan before. I'd boo us, too. The city deserves better than what we've been giving it. We have to figure it out." The next two games are against Central Division foe Chicago. The Cavs travel to the Windy City on Wednesday and host the Bulls on Friday. The Cavs have plummeted to eighth in the Eastern Conference playoff race. If the postseason started today, Cleveland would be in the play-in tournament, a drastic drop for a team that had NBA Finals aspirations. Point guard Darius Garland has been part of the problem thus far, though he had perhaps his best game of the season against Charlotte with a season-high 26 points and nine assists. He continued to play after tweaking his left big toe that has plagued him all season. "That's who he is to us," Mitchell said. "He's tough. He's fighting through a lot. For him to put the team first, that's what we need. We know he's going through a lot. We're glad he had his best performance." Another bright spot has been the play of second-year swingman Jaylon Tyson, who recorded his third double-double of the season with 16 points and a career-high 13 rebounds against the Hornets. Mitchell said if Tyson makes mistakes, "they are aggressive mistakes." Tyson has taken on the role of guarding the opposing team's top offensive threat. Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson brought Tyson off the bench against Charlotte and started Dean Wade. Tyson still excelled. "He's selfless," Mitchell said. "There's no ego with him. He's been consistent every night." During Cleveland's comeback on Sunday, Atkinson went with the lineup of Wade at center surrounded by Mitchell, Garland, Tyson and Lonzo Ball. Expect to see more of the small-ball lineup, especially with Mobley sidelined with a calf injury and center Jarrett Allen fighting to get back to his normal self. Mitchell constantly pumps up Wade, who tallied a season-high 14 points, eight rebounds, two assists and one steal while making 3-of-6 3-pointers. "He's invaluable," he said. "Even when his shots aren't doing down, he's continuously getting in there and rebounding and guarding. He brings that to us every night." Mitchell, 29, refuses to use injuries as an excuse. "We have to be more consistent," he said. "No one is feeling sorry for us. I wouldn't. The only way out of this is to do it together. It's cloudy. It's dark. We deserve it. Our play has not been stellar. We'll continue to stay together. "It's (about) completing 100% of the possession. We haven't done it on a consistent basis and our record reflects that." Contact Bob Finnan at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.