Donovan Mitchell didn’t hide his frustration after the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 93-89 loss to the Toronto Raptors in Game 4.
With the Cavs trailing late, Mitchell had two chances to put pressure on Toronto’s defense. He missed a floater with 21.6 seconds left, then came up empty on a three-point attempt with 8.6 seconds remaining after trying to draw contact.
After the game, Mitchell said he believed both plays could have resulted in foul calls.
“Just getting downhill. I felt like I went up for the floater and I felt like I didn’t have my legs under me because it was taken out, but they didn’t call a foul,” Mitchell told reporters.
On the late three, Mitchell admitted he tried to get the defender in the air.
“I thought I had him on the shot fake, but they didn’t call that,” Mitchell said. “So that’s on me.”
The no-calls proved costly for Cleveland, which had a chance to take a 3-1 series lead on the road. Instead, the Raptors survived an ugly offensive night and tied the first-round series at 2-2.
Game 4 was a grind from start to finish. Neither team found much rhythm, and both sides finished shooting 40 percent from the field. Toronto still managed to pull out the win despite shooting just 32 percent as a team.
The Cavs now head into Game 5 looking to regain control of the series. For Mitchell, the task is simple: move past the frustration and make sure Cleveland closes better next time.
