For most NBA stars, motivation comes from rivalries, critics, or playoff pressure. For Donovan Mitchell, it came from a random kid talking trash on NBA 2K.
Before his Cleveland Cavaliers’ 132–121 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night, Mitchell was relaxing at home, playing the popular basketball video game. What started as a harmless session turned into unexpected fuel for one of his best performances of the season. In the post-game press conference, Mitchell added:
“This kid pissed me off today. I was playing 2K. I’ve been playing 2k for two hours, I told him too, I was like wait, just wait. And he just called me washed up, he called me a bunch of things, but I love it. He’s saying he ain’t seen a highlight from me in a minute and I just told him, alright, we’ll see. This game was for that kid or grown man, whoever that was, so I appreciate you. I told him I’d give him a shoutout too.”
Mitchell didn’t just stay awake; he went out and torched the Sixers.
That night, the Cavaliers star erupted for 46 points, shooting an absurd 15-of-21 from the field, including 6-of-11 from three, while hitting all eight of his free throws. He added 8 assists and 5 rebounds, controlling every possession with a rhythm and confidence that Philadelphia simply couldn’t contain. The Sixers tried everything, traps, switches, physical defense, but Mitchell answered every time with another bucket.
The performance wasn’t just impressive, it was historic. According to stats, Mitchell became only the second player in NBA history to record at least 45 points on 70 percent shooting, dish out eight assists, and make at least ten free throws without a miss. The only other player to do that? Michael Jordan in 1985.
Spida showed out in The Land tonight:
🕸️ 46 PTS
🕸️ 15-21 FGM (71.4%)
🕸️ 8 AST
🕸️ 6 3PM
Donovan Mitchell (13) passes LeBron James (12) for the most games with 40+ PTS & 5+ 3PM in CLE history! pic.twitter.com/hp29X9kQMs
— NBA (@NBA) November 6, 2025
It’s hard to say whether the anonymous 2K trash-talker was a Cavs fan trying to light a fire or just a random opponent running his mouth, but he picked the wrong guy to call ‘washed up.’
This isn’t new territory for Mitchell. Ever since entering the league in 2017, he’s been one of the NBA’s most consistent and dangerous scorers. He’s never averaged fewer than 20 points per game in any season and already owns multiple 40- and 50-point nights. His career-high remains his legendary 71-point game in 2023, which tied for the ninth-highest scoring performance in league history.
After the Sixers win, Cleveland improved to 5–3, with Mitchell averaging 31.9 points and 5.0 assists per game on a blistering 45.5 percent from three. His offensive brilliance has carried the Cavs while Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen recovered from injuries. Garland made his return against Philadelphia, adding eight points in limited minutes, but it was Mitchell who carried the night with his competitive fire burning brighter than ever.
Mitchell’s ability to turn something as trivial as video game banter into real-life domination perfectly sums up his mindset. He’s competitive to the core, wired to respond, to prove, to silence.
Maybe the Cavaliers should consider adding one more staff position, ‘Pre-Game 2K Trash Talker.’ If Wednesday’s performance was any indication, it might just be Cleveland’s new secret weapon.
