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Jamal CollierESPN
A day after a historic 71-point game from All-Star Donovan Mitchell, the Cleveland Cavaliers were issued tests for performance-enhancing drugs Tuesday afternoon, the team confirmed to ESPN.
Players are typically subject to four random tests for PEDs during the season and two during the offseason, according to the collective bargaining agreement between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association.
In a 145-134 overtime victory against the Chicago Bulls on Monday night, Mitchell scored the most points by an NBA player since Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game against Toronto on Jan. 22, 2006.
“Andddd just like that we are drug tested this morning,” Mitchell wrote on Twitter to his teammate, Robin Lopez, along with three crying-laughing emojis.
Andddd just like that we are drug tested this morning 😂😂😂 https://t.co/LvlbcPDucP
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) January 3, 2023
During his historic outburst, Mitchell went 22-of-34 from the field, made 7 of 15 3-pointers and scored 13 points in overtime to help the Cavs come back from a 21-point deficit to beat the Bulls.
However, the NBA’s Last Two Minute Report released Tuesday afternoon stated Mitchell should have been called for a lane violation on a missed free throw with 4.1 seconds remaining in regulation. Mitchell grabbed his own offensive rebound after missing the free throw and scored the game-tying layup to force overtime.
“It made it hard for Patrick [Williams] to block him out because [Mitchell] was certainly across the free throw line before the ball hit the rim,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan told reporters following the game Monday night in Cleveland.
Mitchell also added 11 assists, by far the most by a player in a 70-point game in NBA history. In total, Mitchell scored or assisted 99 points for the Cavs, the most by any player since Wilt Chamberlain’s NBA-record 100-point game.