Cavaliers: Donovan Mitchell avoids talking extension, wants focus on preparing for playoffs

CLEVELAND — Donovan Mitchell dodged the most important question of the night. When asked about Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert's encouraging words about his star player signing an extension with the team, Mitchell was non-committal. "I mean, obviously, you have to ask that question, but my focus is we've got a lot of things to focus on outside of that right now, to be honest," he said Friday. "I got to focus on myself getting back for this group (and) continuing to be ready when it comes time. I'm going to give you the same answer. "My teammates know me at the end of the day and we're going out there trying to find ways to win the championship and it starts with days like tonight." The five-time All-Star returned Friday in the Cavs' 117-114 win over the Philadelphia 76ers after a six-game absence with a broken nose. It was only his sixth game since the All-Star break. He had previously missed time with a bone bruise in his left knee. He showed flashes of greatness Friday but overall lacked his ability to take over a game. Mitchell's 12 points were two more than his season low. He added three rebounds, eight assists and two steals. He shot 4-of-13 from the field, 1-of-7 from behind the arc. "I thought he was OK," coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "I think there's rust, obviously, from just not having played full-speed NBA basketball. "This is a tough team to play against because they do play with so much pace and so much tempo. But again, I thought he did the things that he needed to do. His presence matters late in games. It's going to take some time. We expect him to just keep getting better and better as he gets more reps." Mitchell is under contract for next year and has a player option for 2025-26. If he declines an extension this summer, the Cavs might have to entertain thoughts of trading him. Talk around the league, however, is he's open to staying in Cleveland. The Cavs (45-29) welcomed back power forward Evan Mobley recently after he missed nine games with a sprained ankle. He had a huge game against the Sixers with 20 points and 11 rebounds, including the winning 3-pointer with 28 seconds left. Mobley had missed six weeks earlier in the season after knee surgery. Point guard Darius Garland has been up and down all season. He did have 14 points and 12 assists against Philadelphia. Swingman Max Strus missed several weeks with a sprained knee and has been back in the lineup the last two games. On the night Mitchell returned, swingman Caris LeVert sat out with a wrist injury and backup point guard Craig Porter Jr. was ill. No one seems to know when forward Dean Wade will return from his knee injury. Bickerstaff said he couldn't say for sure whether Wade would be back by the end of the regular season. The injury woes didn't stop the the Cavs from leaving Saturday for a five-game West Coast trip that starts today against the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets. From there, there will be back-to-back sets against Utah and Phoenix, and the Clippers and Lakers in Los Angeles. They don't return home until April 10. The Cavs moved back into the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference after their win over the Sixers. Whether they can hold onto that spot is the question. "We've been scratching and clawing to build chemistry throughout this whole year with the group that we originally set out to have," forward Georges Niang said. "I think us building that collectively throughout these games and peaking at the right time and playing our best basketball is the most important thing. We want to win every single game that we play and that's how we attack it. (We want to) play the best Cavaliers basketball we can play going into the end of April, May and into June." Mitchell said even though there are only eight games remaining in the regular season, the Cavs still have time to regain their form. "We've got time to figure it out," he said. "We've got (eight) games against really good teams and I think that's ultimately going to test us. "There's no excuse at this point. We've got to go out there and continue to find ways to win these games. There's a lot to juggle right now between reintegrating guys back and trying to get these reps under your belt." Mitchell said the playoffs have started early for Cleveland. "Every game's a playoff game," he said. "It's not like we're playing against teams that are done for the year. We're playing against teams that are fighting for (seeds). It's going to be a playoff atmosphere." He's forced to wear a mask to protect his nose. "It's trying to be able to breathe," Mitchell said. "There's really nothing I can do about it. So let's go out there and figure it out. (It was my) first time with a mask." On a tear Bickerstaff keeps referring to Niang as being a "42 percent career 3-point shooter." Actually, he's only shot that high once in his eight-year career, when he shot a sizzling .425 in 2020-21 in Utah. He's a .399 career shooter from distance — still very good. After a slow start, Niang is at .385 this season. He's definitely on a tear and is shooting .463 from behind the arc in his last 21 games (50-of-108). Niang recorded a game-high 25 points against Philadelphia, when he was 5-of-8 from the 3-point line. The five 3-pointers tied his season high. Niang has scored in double figures in 11 of his last 13 games. "I just think throughout the course of the season there are highs and lows," he said. "I'm just trying to stick to my routine and do what I do. I want to stay in the present and continue to shoot it with confidence." After one of his 3-pointers, he let the Sixers bench know about it. "I don't know if you knew that (but) I played for the Sixers last year, so it felt good to beat them," Niang said. Contact Bob Finnan at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.