Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers Tested for PEDs Morning After Star's 71-Point Game
January 4, 2023
The Cleveland Cavaliers are still riding the high of Donovan Mitchell's historic 71-point performance in Monday's overtime win against the Chicago Bulls, but the players were in for a surprise on Tuesday.
According to ESPN's Jamal Collier, the Cavs confirmed that they were tested for performance-enhancing drugs this afternoon.
Mitchell is just the seventh player ever to reach the 70-point mark in an NBA game, and the first to do so while recording 10+ assists as he dished out 11 dimes in the 145-134 victory. The 26-year-old played a whopping 50 minutes but was incredibly efficient, shooting 22-of-34 from the field, 7-of-15 from three-point range and 20-of-25 from the free throw line.
Collier noted that NBA players are "typically subject to four random tests for PEDs during the season and two during the offseason" as per the collective bargaining agreement between the league and the NBA Players' Association.
Mitchell reacted to the timing of the random test on Twitter:
While the three-time All-Star put on the best performance of the 2022-23 season so far, it wasn't without controversy. The NBA's Last Two Minute Report released on Tuesday revealed that Mitchell should've been called for a lane violation on his game-tying tip-in that forced overtime off his own missed free throw with 4.1 seconds left.
In any case, the Cavaliers improved to 24-14 to move into a virtual tie with the Milwaukee Bucks (23-13) for first place in the Central Division. Cleveland will be going for its third straight win when it welcomes the Phoenix Suns (20-18) to town on Wednesday.