CLEVELAND — After another loss to his hometown team, Donovan Mitchell confirmed he’ll play in the rematch Wednesday but didn’t seem as excited about returning to MSG as previous trips.
Tuesday’s 109-91 blowout defeat to the Knicks — which followed the Cavs getting pummeled in the playoffs by New York — was probably a factor.
“You always have that game circled. But at the end of the day, we lost. Move on,” Mitchell said. “It’s a new year. We’re competitors for sure. When you lose to a team like that you want to go out there and get it but we got to go out and get one [Wednesday]. And if not, we have to move on with this season. A much as we continue to harp on what happened last season, neither of us won the championship.”
Mitchell, an Elmsford product who was nearly traded to the Knicks a year ago, averaged 24.7 points in his previous appearances at MSG, not counting the playoffs.
“You always look forward to playing at home,” Mitchell said. “We started the year in Brooklyn [against the Nets]. Wednesday’s no different. But at the end of the day we’re 1-3. We need a win. That’s the mindset.”
Josh Hart heard Cavs forward Tristan Thompson insult his rebounding and responded with sarcasm.
“We don’t really care,” Hart said. “We’re just sirloin steaks.”
A day earlier, Thompson, who is about 5 inches taller than Hart, laughed off a reporter’s attempt to compare their rebounding abilities.
“Me and Josh Hart rebounding-wise? No. That’s like a filet and a sirloin steak,” Thompson said.
On Tuesday, Hart outrebounded Thompson, 7-3. Hart also played nine more minutes.
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