Donovan Mitchell, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ star guard, absolutely went off for a career-high 71 points against the Chicago Bulls on January 2, 2023. That game was already legendary, a true masterpiece of scoring. But now, Mitchell has dropped an unbelievable confession, crediting a totally wild, unexpected substance for fueling that epic performance. Get ready, because this one’s a shocker.
His Pre-Game Secret? You Won’t Believe It
So, picture this: one of the NBA’s elite scorers, fresh off a 71-point nuclear bomb, comes out and tells the world his secret. On the “Cousins with Vince Carter & Tracy McGrady” podcast, Mitchell flat-out admitted he consumed “a few drinks” the night *before* dropping that monster stat line. Yeah, you heard that right. Alcohol. He literally said that hitting the sauce might have been what “allowed” him to establish a new career scoring record. Think about that for a second! Every athlete, every coach, every sports science guru preaches hydration, proper rest, strict diet, and avoiding anything that messes with peak performance. And here’s Spida Mitchell, hinting that a New Year’s Eve celebration with some booze might have unlocked his inner scoring demon to put up a historic 71 points. It’s a head-scratcher, no doubt. This isn’t just a big performance, this is a legendary game, and the backstory just got infinitely crazier.
New Year’s, New Records: A One-Off Situation
Mitchell didn’t just throw that out there without context, though. He dove into the exact timeline, laying it all out: “We played them on New Year’s Eve. Then we had New Year’s in Cleveland. Then we played the next day. Now I will say this. I’ve never drank before a game in my life. It was New Year’s.” He was crystal clear: this was not a habit. “So I did have a drink, a few drinks the night before the game. Never done that in my career. Haven’t done it since. So I tell people like that was probably what, you know, allowed me to have the night I had.” That’s the absolute kicker right there, isn’t it? He’s standing firm, claiming he’d never touched a pre-game drink before that unbelievable 71-point explosion, and he hasn’t gone back to it since. It was a singular, New Year’s moment, a complete anomaly, and in his own words, he believes it directly fueled one of the most incredible scoring nights the league has seen. It makes you wonder what kind of magic was in those few drinks!
So, What Now? Should He Light Up The Bulls With A Nightcap?
Okay, so Mitchell is adamant this was a pure one-off, a unique situation he hasn’t replicated. But come on, as fans, we gotta ask the hilarious question, right? If “a few drinks” truly uncorked that kind of transcendent, career-defining performance, a night where he put up a staggering 71 points, the kind of performance every single NBA player dreams about, then maybe, just maybe, it’s worth a re-evaluation? The source article even playfully suggests it: if booze is *truly* responsible for his epic performance, then perhaps he *should* consider imbibing more often. It’s a wild, almost unbelievable thought for professional sports. We’re talking about one of the league’s brightest stars hitting 71 points, and the secret weapon might have been a couple of celebratory sips. It adds a whole new, unbelievable layer to the legend of that January 2, 2023, game against Chicago. Seriously, what an absolutely bonkers story from a top-tier scorer!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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