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Donovan Mitchell credits someone talking trash in NBA 2K with his 46-point game vs 76ers
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- Donovan Mitchell credits someone talking trash in NBA 2K with his 46-point game vs 76ers
CLEVELAND — A kid playing a video game "pissed off" Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell with some trash talk, and the Philadelphia 76ers eventually paid for it later that same night.
Mitchell, on the morning of Nov. 5, was playing the NBA 2K basketball video game. He sometimes plays as himself and joked that people don't often believe it's really him.
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Someone — Mitchell didn't divulge the username, though he admitted clips might be out there eventually and he was sure the guy was watching — did some trash talking. And by the sounds of it, they were pretty skilled at that part of the game once they figured out it actually was an All-Star guard on the controls.
"I wouldn't put the game I had based on [anything that happened] on the court. This kid pissed me off today," Mitchell said postgame, smiling. "He just called me washed up. He called me a bunch of things. But I love it, you know what I mean? He said he ain't seen a highlight from me in a minute. … I had been playing 2K for like two hours and I told him, I was like, 'Just wait.'"
That same night, Mitchell had a monster game, dropping a season-high 46 points on the 76ers in a Cavaliers win. He joked the 2K trash talking might have added a little extra motivation.
"So this game was for that kid, or grown man, or whoever that was," Mitchell said. "I appreciate you. I told him I'd give him a shoutout, too. So that's what tonight was."
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Mitchell became just the second player in NBA history to have a game in which they scored at least 45 points on 70% or better shooting from the floor, dished out least eight assists and made at least 10 free throws without a miss, according to OptaStats . The other was Michael Jordan in 1985.
The Cavs might want to hire this kid to play Mitchell in 2K before every playoff game if the trend continues.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell was motivated by trash talk in NBA 2K
