Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell says he drank alcohol before his career-high 71-point performance, which came against the Chicago Bulls. Mitchell recounts that on New Year’s Eve, he had a few drinks and then went on to score 71 points in an NBA game, describing it as the only time he has followed that approach before playing.
Mitchell made the comments during an appearance on the “Cousins” podcast with Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady, according to both outlets. The reports describe the same central detail—his claim that the drink portion came the night before his historic scoring output. Beyond that, the coverage focuses mainly on the novelty of the anecdote rather than providing additional on-the-record context from team or league sources. No outlet presents contrary details about the timing of his New Year’s Eve drinking or about the opponent and game in which he scored 71.
