Suns vs. Cavaliers Wednesday NBA odds, props: Donovan Mitchell set at 30.5 points off franchise-record 71-point explosion

All eyes will be on Cavaliers All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell on Wednesday night when Cleveland hosts Phoenix in what could be an NBA Finals preview. Mitchell dropped an epic 71 points Monday in a comeback overtime win over Chicago that also boosted his MVP odds at Caesars Sportsbook. He is set over/under 30.5 points tonight with the Cavs as 4.5-point favorites.

Mitchell became the seventh player in history to score at least 70, and the 71 were a franchise record and most in the NBA since the late Kobe Bryant scored 81 for the Lakers against Toronto on Jan. 22, 2006. Of course, Wilt Chamberlain owns the NBA record with 100 for Philadelphia against New York on March 2, 1962, at Hershey, Pa. He's the only player with multiple 70-point games with six. Michael Jordan never had one.

Where Mitchell did make history was becoming the first player with at least 70 points and 10 assists (he had 11) in a game. He came two assists shy of posting the first 70-point triple-double not long after Mavericks star Luka Doncic had the first 60-point triple-double on Dec. 27 vs. the Knicks.

Doncic completed a miracle comeback by rebounding and scoring off his own missed free throw in the final seconds of that New York game to force OT and eventually get to 60. So did Mitchell to reach 70. Leading by three points with 4.4 seconds remaining in regulation, the Bulls intentionally fouled Mitchell to prevent a 3-pointer. Mitchell made the first free throw and then intentionally missed the second, grabbed it under the basket and made a circus shot to tie the game at 130.

The bucket gave Mitchell a career-best 58 points, and he went on to score 13 more points in overtime. However, Mitchell should have been called for a lane violation as he crossed the free-throw line before the ball touched the rim. The NBA rulebook states that a free throw shooter "may not step over the plane of the free throw line until the ball touches the basket ring, backboard or the free throw ends." If they do, no point is awarded and the opposing team gets the ball.

At Caesars, Mitchell moved from +4000 to +2500 to win MVP. One reason that he took a whopping 34 shots (made 22, including seven from deep and was 20-for-25 from the charity stripe) was because fellow All-Star guard Darius Garland was out with a right thumb sprain. Gardland is doubtful for Wednesday's game. Excellent young forward Evan Mobley also has missed the past two and is questionable with right ankle soreness.

The only other active player with a 70-point game is the Suns' Devin Booker, who accomplished the feat on March 24, 2017 in Boston. In fact, the most assists any of the 70-point scorers racked up before Mitchell was Booker's six that night. He currently remains sidelined for roughly another month with a left groin strain.

Wednesday makes the first meeting of the season between the Cavs and Suns, and they will face off again in the desert on Sunday. Phoenix is on a five-game winning streak vs. Cleveland.

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