Donovan Mitchell broke the Cavalier's record with 71 points

LeBron James, the standout player for the Los Angeles Lakers, had a special night on Monday since it was the second time in a row that he scored 40 points after turning 38. But towards the end of the evening, he was overshadowed by Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell's incredible performance.

Donovan Mitchell receives praise from LeBron James for setting a record for the Cavaliers

Mitchell scored 71 points overall in the Cavaliers' overtime victory over the Chicago Bulls on Monday, surpassing Kobe Bryant of the Lakers, who scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors in 2006. Mitchell not only became the first player to do it with 10 assists, but also the eighth player in NBA history to score 70 points or more.

Mitchell scored 71 points overall in the Cavaliers' overtime victory over the Chicago Bulls on Monday

Naturally, word of a performance of that kind spreads quickly, and James was questioned on Mitchell's 71-point outing. LeBron had not yet seen it because the Lakers had not yet concluded their game, but according to NBA.com, James offered nothing but praise for Mitchell's tremendous performance:

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“Well I haven’t seen clips of the game yet, but obviously a guy had to be on fire. That’s tough. We’re playing a game where a lot of guys always talk about getting buckets and who’s some of the best guys that can put the ball in the hole and obviously tonight Donovan showed that he’s one of the best in our league. Any time you’re putting up 70, 60, 50, or 40, you’re extremely, extremely gifted at what you do. So that’s definitely something he will never forget, and his family will never forget. That’s pretty cool.”

There are very few people who can ever claim to have scored 40 or even 50 points in an NBA game. However, as you reach the 60 to 70-point range, you are in extremely thin air. When talking about the league's top guards, Mitchell has occasionally been forgotten, but as LeBron said, he proved he belongs there.

There simply isn't much more to do but express love and gratitude for Mitchell's unforgettable night

There is a reason why just a small number of players have attained the status of joining Lakers and NBA luminaries Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, and Elgin Baylor in that club. James' career-high in points is 61, and that is the only time he has ever scored 60 in a game. The all-time top scorer, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, never recorded a 60-point performance in a single game. There simply isn't much more to do but express love and gratitude for Mitchell's unforgettable night, as James did. James and Kyrie Irving each had 57 points in the previous Cavaliers scoring record.

LeBron James analyses the disparities in his performance between the ages of 18 and 38

Mitchell is still in his prime at 26 years old, but James recently turned 38 and is still capable of the incredible performances that the Lakers great has been putting on the court for the past 20 seasons.

LeBron previously discussed the changes, adding that when you're younger, you don't care as much about your body and things like getting the perfect amount of sleep, doing proper stretching, or making sure your food is right. Of course, what worked for LeBron at 18 doesn't necessarily work at 38.

However, everything becomes important at 38 years old, and LeBron makes sure everything is in order. For this reason, he is able to do these feats at this age that no one else has ever done.

Mitchell remains an unpopular choice for MVP

Mitchell had a fantastic game, but it didn't seem to have much of an impact on his MVP odds. Market observers continue to pay close attention to a distinct top four players: approximately in that order, they are Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Nikola Jokic, the two-time reigning champion, and Luka Doncic. Kevin Durant is the only other player with "single-digit" probabilities across the board, and he is not too far behind.

The current best price for Mitchell is +4000. Mitchell stays at +4000 at the majority of the market, but a few sportsbooks reacting very significantly - both DraftKings and Caesars pushed him closer to the +2500 zone.

Mitchell had a fantastic game, but it didn't seem to have much of an impact on his MVP odds

His early December pricing, which was really +3500 at DraftKings, was not far from that. After the sensational transaction that brought "Spida" to Cleveland, he was about +8000 in the preseason. Mitchell's raw stats appear to be superb and won't be outdone by many. His current averages on 49.2/41.3/86.8 percent of his shots are 29.3/3.9/4.8. Even if he is not nearly as efficient as some of the top competitors listed above, they are outstanding stats.

The Cavaliers potentially earning the No. 1 seed in the East will be the greatest factor in Mitchell's campaign. They are still within reach despite being 2.5 games down. They appear to have lasting power based on their top-five efficiency differential. If you think the Cavaliers will win this game, you should check out the Donovan Mitchell MVP odds.

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