Donovan Mitchell had a joke ready after finishing with more assists than James Harden in the Cavaliers’ Game 2 win over the Raptors.
Mitchell and Harden exchanged light-hearted remarks after Cleveland beat Toronto 115-105 on Monday in Game 2 of the First Round. With the victory, the Cavaliers moved ahead 2-0 in the series.
A big reason for the result was the production from Cleveland’s core. Mitchell turned in a game-high 30 points to go with seven rebounds and five assists, while Harden added 28 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Evan Mobley, the third member of the “Big 3,” chipped in 25 points and eight rebounds, as the trio combined for 83 points.
Mitchell also had some fun with the fact that he recorded one more assist than Harden and helped offset Harden’s five turnovers. That became part of the postgame banter during their press conference, according to NBA TV.
Harden: “5 turnovers.”
Donovan: “You had 5? And I had 1? I’m the assist leader.”
Harden: “I’m proud of you.”
The series now shifts to Toronto. Cleveland finished the regular season 52-30, good for the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference. Mitchell averaged 27.9 points, 5.7 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game this season.
Harden, who arrived in February in a trade from the Los Angeles Clippers, put up 20.5 points, 7.7 assists, and 4.8 rebounds across 26 games with Cleveland. Before that, he averaged 35.4 points and 8.1 assists in 44 games with Los Angeles.
Over the years, Harden has built more of a reputation as a playmaker than Mitchell, which made Mitchell’s joke land even better. Game 3 is set for Thursday.
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