It was a slow start to the season for the Cleveland Cavaliers, but recent wins have pulled them to seven games over .500 (fifth in the West). Tonight’s road victory (119-105) marked their third straight, and it came against the same Magic team that they eliminated in the 2025 playoffs.
Cleveland’s offense played with poise and discipline today, and Donovan Mitchell was the star of the show with 36 points, five rebounds, nine assists, two steals, and zero blocks on 50.0% shooting and 25.0% shooting from three. Jaylon Tyson joined him with 17 points, five rebounds, four assists, zero steals, and zero blocks on 55.6% shooting and 60.0% shooting from three. Evan Mobley contributed 13 points, seven rebounds, three assists, zero steals, and one block on 28.6% shooting and 16.7% shooting from three (1-6).
Donovan Mitchell with another spectacular performance on the road 🔥
🕷️ 36 PTS
🕷️ 5 REB
🕷️ 9 AST
🕷️ 2 STL
The @cavs win their 3rd in a row! pic.twitter.com/kI2UA9u194
— NBA (@NBA) January 25, 2026
Meanwhile, Paolo Banchero finished with 27 points, five rebounds, two assists, zero steals, and zero blocks on 50.0% shooting and 50.0% shooting from three. In 38 minutes, Desmond Bane dropped 20 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals, and zero blocks on 50.0% shooting and 33.3% shooting from three. Finally, Anthony Black contributed 16 points, five rebounds, five assists, two steals, and one block on 50.0% shooting and 42.9% shooting from three. The Cavs’ defense kept them in check throughout the game, limiting the Magic to just 40.7% shooting as a team.
On the road, just one day after a win over the Kings, this is the type of game that the Cavaliers would have lost a few months ago. Today, however, they showed the type of effort that led to their 64-win season in 2024-25. Mostly, it was Donovan Mitchell who willed his team to victory, and his performance sparked a greater conversation among the fans.
“If Donovan Mitchell were playing for any team not named Cleveland, he’d be in the discussion for MVP and would probably be many media members’ pick as the front runner right now,” a fan posted on X. “He’s carried a beat-up and injured Cavs team all season on his back and kept the ship sailing.”
Overall, while it’s been a rough season for Cleveland, Mitchell gave them something to cheer for today in another heroic performance that should not be ignored. Fans were feeling grateful for his presence tonight, as they reflected on where the team would be without him.
“We are so blessed to have Donovan Mitchell play for our Cleveland Cavaliers,” wrote one Cavs fan.
Mitchell had some words to say after the win, praising his team’s collective effort on the second night of a back-to-back.
“I didn’t go to sleep until 4:30-5:00, woke up at 10. These are the moments you enjoy,” Mitchell said. “This is like AAU, you know they’re gonna be a hard-nose team, and we had a great win last night. Collectively, we just continue to find ways. We all knew we were gonna be tired, but at some point, you have to find it. Everybody came in and gave big minutes, and that’s what it’s gonna take.”
The Cavs won’t have long to savor this win. In just two days, they’ll be playing this team again back in Cleveland. After that, they have a date with the Los Angeles Lakers next Wednesday at 7:00 pm EST. With seven wins in their last 10 games, the Cavs have seemingly found something in this stretch, but these next few games will tell us a lot about the status of this team.
At this point, the only guarantee for the Cavaliers is Mitchell, who has provided a steady offensive presence all season with averages of 29.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game on 48.2% shooting and 38.3% shooting from three.
