"Even Donovan Mitchell was embarrassed": Fans slam Tristan Thompson after he pulls off 'bad' Lance Stephenson move

Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers cruised to a 131-108 win against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday. Spida went out with 6:53 remaining in the final quarter after Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson sent in the bench mob to close the game. Tristan Thompson, Cleveland’s seldom-used center, created controversy when he finished a layup with the outcome already decided.

Fans promptly reacted to the sequence late in the Cavaliers-Raptors game:

“Even Donovan Mitchell was embarassed of Tristan Thompson here, holding his head LOL”

One fan said:

“Trying to bring his career average of 1.8 points up a bit.”

Another fan added:

“I like Thompson as a person & player but this was bad”

@miltonlaura continued:

“Should have let RJ take care of him..a little Sauga vs Brampton action.”

A Raptors supporter commented:

“He is a punk bee-otch! These old end of bench guys provide nothing but goon sh*t. The ones that don't provide leadership like Garrett Temple. Skills erode them and then... We already know he makes bad life decisions so I am not surprised.”

The basket that Thompson scored with 4.0 seconds remaining was similar to the layup Lance Stephenson made against the Toronto Raptors in 2017. The Raptors surrounded Stephenson eight years ago and did the same with Thompson in 2025.

Donovan Mitchell seemed so embarrassed by the commotion his teammate caused that he covered his head while separating players to prevent a scuffle from happening.

LeBron James’ former teammate has had time to play in February in four blowout Cavaliers wins. The four points Thompson scored on Wednesday were tied for his season high.

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Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers sustain their surge in February

Donovan Mitchell struggled in mid-January, which allowed the OKC Thunder to overtake them for the best record in the NBA. Cleveland closed the month with a 3-0 record before sustaining its surge in February.

Following the win against the Toronto Raptors, Mitchell and Co. are now 5-1 this month to improve to 44-10, half a game behind the Thunder. The Cavaliers’ only loss this month came against the Boston Celtics, who beat them at home 112-105 on Feb. 4.

The All-Star break will give the Cavaliers time to prepare for the second half of the season. They will close the month with games against the Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic.