Donovan Mitchell says Cavs must stick together after latest letdown

Sunday night felt heavier than it should have inside Rocket Arena.

The Cavaliers had chances, plenty of them, but none mattered once the game slipped into overtime. Cleveland missed all 10 of its shots in the extra session and walked off with a 119-111 loss to Charlotte, a Hornets team missing LaMelo Ball and carrying one of the league’s worst road records.

That was the part the crowd couldn’t stomach.

Boos followed as the final seconds ticked away, and Donovan Mitchell didn’t argue the point.

“We deserve it,” Mitchell said. “I was a fan once. I would boo us, too.”

This was supposed to be a season of momentum for Cleveland, not mounting frustration.

Last year’s 15-0 start under first-year coach Kenny Atkinson raised expectations to levels not seen since the LeBron James era.

A second-round playoff exit against Indiana cooled the optimism, and an uneven, injury-filled start to the 2025-26 season has brought it into sharper focus.

The loss marked Cleveland’s sixth in nine games, and Mitchell took the blame. Two nights after scoring 48 points against Washington, he finished with 17 on 6-of-24 shooting, including 1-of-11 from three. He also missed a clean look at a potential game-winner at the end of regulation.

“If I play better, we win that game,” Mitchell said.

Injuries have added to the turbulence. Evan Mobley, the league’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, could miss up to a month with a calf strain.

Darius Garland continues to play through pain stemming from offseason toe surgery. Jarrett Allen has recently returned, while Sam Merrill and Max Strus remain out.

“No excuse,” Garland said.

There isn’t one. And the Cavs know it.

“No one is feeling sorry for us,” Mitchell said. “I wouldn’t feel sorry for us. I know it’s cloudy. I know it’s dark. As long as we continue to stay together in this locker room, we’ll be all right.”

Right now, everything feels heavy in Cleveland. The test will be whether it stays that way.