Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson mentioned before the game that he was excited to see how his team responds to adversity ahead of their game against the Boston Celtics for the first time this season. He has to be happy with the results after it seemed like the Celtics had delivered a knockout blow three or four times, but the Cavs kept fighting and pulled out an improbable 115-111 victory.

The Cavs had strong performances in the first two quarters, but dropped the rope again in the third quarter. Seventeen points from Jayson Tatum in the third quarter gave Boston a 14-point lead. But fortunately for the Cavs, Donovan Mitchell was on their side.

Mitchell didn’t have a chance for three quarters, shooting just 6-15 from the field heading into the final frame. From there, he completely took control, knocking down three straight triples in a two-minute span and turning a five-point deficit into a tie with just over a minute and a half left. He gave the Cavs their first lead of the fourth on the next possession with a floater in the lane. Mitchell then finished the game by making the one-two punch and finding Isaac Okoro, who then passed the game-winning dunk to Evan Mobley.

This is the kind of performance you imagine when you trade for Mitchell. He brought the Cavs back when they were seemingly dead in the water. This is what your superstar guard is supposed to do against the best team in the league. He finished the game with 35 points on 12-21 shooting with 7 rebounds and 3 assists.

This wasn’t a perfect game. The perimeter defense, which was a recent problem against the Atlanta Hawks, still wasn’t perfect. Kristaps Porzingis fired up the Cavs from long range and scored 21 points with 3-7 shots from beyond the arc. Tatum also ate up the mismatches and scored 33 points.

The Cavaliers did just enough on offense to outplay the undermanned Celtics. Mobley, who has struggled against switch-heavy defenses in the past, struggled to convert those performances on Sunday. This was in addition to another no-show from Jarrett Allen in this match.

Darius Garland showed a strong rebound after a poor performance against the Celtics in Boston. He scored 22 points on 5-12 shooting and several free throws to end the game.

The Cavaliers are a work in progress. The defense needs cleaning up and the offensive execution wasn’t perfect. But it’s impressive to get a win against the defending champions while still putting in the work and progress. This was a statement win for a team that desperately needed some positive momentum after their first losing streak of the year.