Donovan Mitchell tears up Pacers with 43 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists

INDIANAPOLIS -- Donovan Mitchell scored 43 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out six assists to lead the Cavaliers to a blowout 135-119 win over the Pacers on a snowy Monday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

The Pacers fell to 4-17 after winning their two previous games. The Cavs improved to 13-9 after losing their previous three games.

Guard Jaylon Tyson added 27 points and 11 rebounds. Forward De'Andre Hunter and center Evan Mobley added 13 points each. Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 26 points and seven rebounds. Guard Andrew Nembhard scored 21 points. Center Jay Huff and guard Garrison Mathews scored 15 points each. Bennedict Mathurin had 11 points, all in the second half.

Donovan Mitchell too much for Pacers to handle

The Pacers made this one look a lot more interesting than it seemed like it would be in the first half. They were outscored 37-25 in the first quarter and fell behind by as many as 21 points in the first half. However, they cut it to 12 at halftime, won the middle quarters by three points and trailed by just nine heading into the fourth quarter.

But every time it seemed like they were about to seriously chip in to the Cavs' lead, Donovan Mitchell did something spectacular to make sure they didn't.

The six-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA pick and first-team All-NBA selection in 2024-25 had a modest 17 points in the first half, but in the second half he took to ripping the Pacers' defense apart at every possible opportunity, getting to the paint at will and knocking down 3s off crossover dribbles when he chose not to. He scored 43 points on 16 of 27 shooting including 4 of 10 from the 3-point arc. He also grabbed nine rebounds to help the Cavs dominate on the glass and he dished out six assists. It was Mitchell's third 40-plus-point scoring performance this season and his second in the last three games.

Jay Huff stacking strong performances

The Pacers have found some stability in their center rotation with Jay Huff and Isaiah Jackson getting the bulk of the minutes, and Huff in particular has figured out how to be the big man the Pacers need him to be.

Huff scored in double figures Monday for the fifth straight time and the sixth time in seven games with 15 points on 6 of 10 shooting including 3 of 6 from 3-point range. He also recorded multiple blocks for the seventh straight game with three. In the last three games, he's shooting 64.0% from the floor and 52.9% (9 of 17) from the 3-point line and he's averaging 3.3 blocks per game over the last seven.

Garrison Mathews starts second 10-day contract strong

The first five games and first 10 days of Garrison Mathews' Pacers career were a little rough. A career 38% shooter in his first six seasons in the NBA, Mathews made just 2 of 13 3s, scored a total of nine points and played just 46 minutes in those games. All nine points came in Friday's game against the Wizards.

But the Pacers got another hardship exception on Monday and signed Mathews to a second 10-day. He was more productive in his first game than he was in the entire first contract. He made 3 of 3 3-pointers and 6 of 9 free throws for 15 points and also grabbed a rebound and a steal.

Dustin Dopirak covers the Pacers all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Pacers Insider newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers vs Cavs: Donovan Mitchell scores 43 in 135-119 win