Donovan Mitchell Blasted by Fans for Disappearance in Cavs’ Game 4 Loss vs. Knicks

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The New York Knicks are one win away from advancing past the opening round of the playoffs for the first time in a decade.

New York seized a commanding 3-1 lead in its series against the Cleveland Cavaliers with a 102-93 victory in Sunday’s Game 4 at a raucous Madison Square Garden. Jalen Brunson led the way with 29 points, six rebounds and six assists, but it was far from a one-man show with RJ Barrett, Mitchell Robinson and Josh Hart also playing well.

Cleveland needed an impressive performance from its star player to win in such an environment, and it got the opposite of that.

Donovan Mitchell finished with 11 points and six turnovers on 5-of-18 shooting from the field. His first points in the entire second half came when there were fewer than three minutes remaining, and he drew plenty of criticism for his showing:

New York’s defense on Mitchell was one reason it was able to set the tone right from the start as it built a 15-point lead in the second quarter. Throw in Brunson spearheading the offensive effort by creating shots for himself and others and Robinson owning the boards against the Cavaliers bigs, and it seemed like the home team was going to run away with it.

Darius Garland had other ideas and took over the third quarter as the visitors came charging back. His lob to Jarrett Allen gave Cleveland the lead and left the outcome very much in doubt heading to the fourth.

Still, the Cavaliers continued to get nothing but poor shot selection from Mitchell all while Brunson was controlling play on the other end. And when Cleveland started doubling Brunson, Barrett and Hart made winning plays in crunch time.

The formula was enough for the Knicks to put the game away even as Garland did his best to keep his team within striking distance while his backcourt mate struggled.

If Cleveland doesn’t get a better performance from Mitchell when the series returns home for Wednesday’s Game 5, its season will come to an end.