Donovan Mitchell leads the Cavaliers against the Thunder in a battle of the NBA’s top two teams Wednesday night (7 p.m. ET on ESPN).

Ultimately, Donovan Mitchell decided an organizational leap required sacrifice. He needed to take a step back so others could step forward. Evan Mobley specifically.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault credited Cavs’ Jarrett Allen for his dominating performance leading Donovan Mitchell and the team in Wednesday’s loss. Following one of the more entertaining games between two small-market teams, a reporter asked Gilgeous-Alexander about its significance.

After logging 35 minutes against the Thunder on Wednesday, Mitchell will sit out the second leg of Cleveland's back-to-back Thursday. Caris LeVert and Max Strus will likely receive increased playing time in his absence. Mitchell's next chance to suit up is Sunday's matchup with Indiana.

According to Cavaliers sideline reporter Serena Winters, the young fans who received the seating upgrade formed a connection with Mitchell back in his Utah Jazz days. Seven years ago, the fans saw Mitchell at a Utah barbershop and have followed the All-Star guard since. Mitchell responded to the story on social media after Cleveland’s 134-122 win.

Jarrett Allen scored 25 points, Evan Mobley added 21 and the Cleveland Cavaliers ended Oklahoma City’s 15-game winning streak by beating the Thunder 129-122 in a marquee meeting between the NBA’s top two teams.

The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Oklahoma City Thunder will face off at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse tonight, as Donovan Mitchell goes head-to-head with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 PM ET, with the game airing on ESPN.

Lastly, fan voting returns from Thursday suggest that LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets has a strong chance to be voted as a starter. He leads all East backcourt players in fan voting. Given Ball's time missed to injury (11 games so far) and Charlotte's lowly 8-27 record, his safest path to the All-Star Game is as a starter.

Comes up empty from distance

The Cavaliers are beginning their campaign to send four players to the NBA All-Star Game as voting totals trail the success they've had this year.