Donovan Mitchell should play video games more often before he steps out onto the floor. Mitchell went for a season-high 46 points as he helped the Cleveland Cav

NBA players are masters at finding motivation wherever they can. Donovan Mitchell reminded us of this fact on Wednesday when he credited a kid who was heckling him during an online game of NBA 2K26 for inspiring his brilliant 46-point, eight-assist outing in the Cleveland Cavaliers ' 132-121 win over the Philadelphia 76ers .

In the first round of the playoffs, the Cavs looked every bit like the 60-win team they were, sweeping the Heat decisively. Injuries hampered the Cavaliers in the second round and they fell to the eventual finalists, the Indiana Pacers, 1-4 in the second round.

If you want to know what motivates Donovan Mitchell, trash talking him on NBA 2K is apparently a good place to start.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are once again one of the most formidable teams in the Eastern Conference just a few weeks into the NBA season, and while Donovan Mitchell is still clearly a top player in the league the veteran guard had a little extra motivation during Wednesday night’s win.

What got into Donovan Mitchell Wednesday night? It wasn’t the navy-blue Classic Edition jerseys that harken back to one of the best eras in franchise history. It wasn’t the video that accompanied those threads.

The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Philadelphia 76ers with a 132–121 victory on Wednesday at home behind 46 points from Donovan Mitchell on 71 percent shooting from the field.

A kid playing NBA 2K with Donovan Mitchell poked the Cleveland Cavaliers star, which inspired Mitchell's 46-point explosion.

Donovan Mitchell poured in 37 points, and the short-handed Cavs beat the Hawks at Rocket Arena. Here's how the game unfolded.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell's seventh signature adidas basketball shoe is 20% in four colorways online.