Donovan Mitchell, LeBron James Named Players of the Week

LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers have been named the latest Players of the Week in the NBA.

NBA.com broke the news to the public, while contextualizing the groundbreaking achievements of both players in their own rights.

Mitchell dropped the jaws of basketball fans around the world with a 71 point game against the Chicago Bulls. He scored 58 points in regulation and 13 points in overtime, earning him the right to scratch his stat line onto the iconic white piece of paper Wilt Chamberlain style.

His 71 points were accompanied by 11 assists and eight rebounds — a near triple double. The 99 points that he scored or assisted on were the most since Chamberlain. For the week, Mitchell averaged 37.7 points, 7.3 assists, and 5.3 rebounds per game en route to a 3-1 record.

LeBron James gave the Lakers their groove back with the help of a resurgent Russell Westbrook and company. Defying Father Time, James boasted averages of 35 points, 8.7 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game in true vintage fashion.

The Lakers ran the table for the week, winning four in a row and extending their win streak to five games. Behind James, the Lake Show now sits a mere one game back of the No. 6 seeded Golden State Warriors and have officially reintroduced themselves to the playoff hunt.

James (29.1 PPG) and Mitchell (28.8 PPG) are No. 7 and No. 8 respectively in the scoring race league wide. Mitchell and the Cavaliers are winners of four of their last five games. He looks to close out their five-game western conference road trip with three matchups against the playoff-hopeful Utah Jazz, Portland Trail Blazers and Minnesota Timberwolves. LeBron will continue to carry the load in Anthony Davis’ absence against the conference-leading Denver Nuggets next time out.