Donovan Mitchell scores 46 as Cavaliers beat Sixers

CLEVELAND — Slowly but surely, the Cavaliers are getting back their mojo. Six-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell scored a season-high 46 points on the night when Cleveland welcomed back three key performers, as the Cavs thumped the Philadelphia 76ers 132-121 on Wednesday at Rocket Arena. Not only was Mitchell phenomenal, Cleveland (5-3) worked center Jarrett Allen, shooting guard Sam Merrill and, most importantly, point guard Darius Garland back into its rotation. The result was an impressive night offensively. Garland, making his season debut, finished with eight points and four assists in 26 minutes. He made just three of 11 shots from the field, going 2-of-7 from behind the arc. "He's our quarterback with that strap on his wrist to call the plays," Allen said. "He has a gravity about him." Garland was recovering from surgery on his left big toe and had missed the entire preseason and first seven games. "He gives us more confidence," Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said. "Even in timeouts, he has a great demeanor about him. We all felt more confident with him out there." Garland said the last six months have been extremely difficult. "It's been tough," he said. "And annoying. I just wanted to play tonight. It was fun. It was a hoppin' arena. "Physically, I felt pretty good, even though I was a little winded." The Cavs dished out a season-high 33 assists. Both Mitchell and top reserve Lonzo Ball each had eight assists. "The ball really moved tonight," Garland said. Cleveland opened a 17-point lead in the first quarter and allowed the Sixers (5-3) to come back. Then, in the fourth quarter, the Cavs extended their advantage to 26 points and, once again, Philadelphia got right back in the game. "That can't happen," Mitchell said. "At some point in time, we have to figure this out ourselves. We have to get up and stay up and take care of business." Mitchell, a first-team All-NBA performer, certainly took care of business on the court, as he went 15-of-21 from the field, 6-of-11 from the 3-point line and 10-of-10 from the foul line. "My biggest goal is to be efficient," he said. Atkinson said he thinks Mitchell is "underrated." "What guard in the East is better than him?" the coach said. "He makes it look so easy. He's started the season on fire. He's so calculated and focused on what he has to do. He's also defending like crazy." Allen returned to the lineup with a bang. He finished with a season-high 24 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and three steals. He admitted that his left broken ring finger bothered him at times. "This is my job to be out there with my teammates," he said. "It feels weird taking games off. I have enough in me to go out and play." Forward Evan Mobley added 23 points, while Merrill had 14 points and Jaylon Tyson 10. Valuable reserve forward Dean Wade got poked in the eye in the first quarter and didn't return. "There's no structural damage," Atkinson said. "He got a nasty poke in the eye and couldn't see out of it. He looked like a boxer sitting in the trainer's room." Small forward De'Andre Hunter missed the game with an illness, while swingman Max Strus remains out of the lineup after foot surgery. Guard Tyrese Maxey and reserve guard Quentin Grimes each had 27 points for Philadelphia, while former Cavs center Andre Drummond had 13 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks. Bob Finnan can be reached at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.