Donovan Mitchell Scored The Quietest 71 Points Ever Last Night

With the terrifying incident of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsing after suffering cardiac arrest mid-game during Monday Night Football, it's understandable how the sports world and beyond were focused on that as we all pray for his recovery.

However, there was also a major athletic feat that happened last night that needs to be recognized for its greatness.

For the first time since 2006, an NBA player scored over 70-points. On Monday, Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Donovan Mitchell WENT OFF - scoring a career high 71 points as the Cavs came back from behind to defeat the Chicago Bulls 145-134.

Mitchell now becomes just the 7th player in NBA history to score at least 70 points, and first since Kobe Bryant did it in 2006. The other players to do so have been Devin Booker, David Robinson, Elgin Baylor, David Thompson and Wilt Chamberlain.

However, Mitchel was able to set himself apart from some of those other NBA greats by being the only one that had at least 10 assists. He finished the night with 71 points, 11 assists, and 8 rebounds. Have yourself a NIGHT Donovan!

Naturally, Mitchell's record-setting performance was noticed by the league in more ways than one. Early on Tuesday, the first-year Cavalier revealed that he was drug tested after this 71-point performance.

DONOVAN MITCHELL SPOKE ABOUT DAMAR HAMLIN AFTER THE GAME

Before speaking with reporters, Donovan Mitchell offered prayers for Hamlin. Donovan said that the team and players wanted to make sure that they showed their support and were hoping for the best possible recovery for him.

When such a horrific situation like what we all saw happen with Hamlin and the Bills-Bengals game eventually being postponed, it's understandable why so much more attention is given to that. Suddenly people realize that life is more than just sports. Social media especially was all focused-on Hamlin's well-being and essentially nobody knew what was happening with Mitchell's historic performance unless you were at the game or happened to be watching.

However, it is still important to acknowledge an athlete's accomplishments. Mitchell set a Cavaliers record of most points scored in one game - something rather impressive considering the team also had LeBron James for years and he never came close to that.

At 24-14, the Cavaliers are having a successful year thus far. They are currently in 4th place in the Eastern Conference.