Donovan Mitchell scores 29 as rolling Cavs improve to 14-1 in last 15 with 136-110 win over Kings
CLEVELAND (AP) Donovan Mitchell was stuck in the foul lane after picking up his dribble, so he tossed the ball off the backboard to himself and dunked.
“I've never thrown it left-handed," Cleveland’s All-Star guard said with a laugh. "Sometimes you just make (stuff) up.”
The Cavaliers can do no wrong right now.
Mitchell scored 29 points, Max Strus added 22 and Cleveland beat the Sacramento Kings 136-110 on Monday night for its sixth straight win and 14th in 15 games.
Cleveland is a league-best 19-4 since Dec. 16 - when starters Darius Garland and Evan Mobley went down indefinitely with injuries - and the Cavs have climbed to No. 2 overall (by percentage points over Milwaukee) in the Eastern Conference.
“It's good, but it's February,” Mitchell said. “We're just going to try to continue to play the way we've been playing. We're being cohesive as a group. We're playing great, but the biggest thing is: How do we keep going?
“Everybody has risen to the occasion when their number has been called. Heading into the All-Star break we're playing good ball, and we want to keep it going.”
The Cavs matched a season high with 23 3-pointers in winning their ninth straight home game and eighth in nine against teams from the West.
At the moment, it doesn't matter who the Cavs are facing. They're clicking on all cylinders offensively and are healthy after being without Garland (broken jaw) and Mobley (knee surgery) for six weeks.
Sacramento's Domantas Sabonis had 12 points, 19 rebounds and 15 assists for his 15th triple-double this season, tying him with Denver's Nikola Jokic for the league lead.
Harrison Barnes added 22 points and De'Aaron Fox had 19 as the Kings finished 5-2 on a season-long trip.
“Tough night for us,” Kings coach Mike Brown said. "(Coach) J.B. (Bickerstaff) and his team were really good. We didn’t do a good job getting to their hot players and they shot the mess out of the basketball. They made 23 3s, shot 56%, that's almost unheard of. Offensively, we were fine, but they were so good they took the wind out of us."
Jarrett Allen had 19 points and Mobley added 14 rebounds and seven assists in his fourth game back since undergoing surgery last month.
The Cavs pushed a 15-point halftime lead to 21 in the third quarter before Fox hit a 3 and Kevin Huerter scored to pull the Kings within 13.
Sabonis then grabbed a defensive rebound, but while he was looking to make an outlet pass, Strus sneaked up behind him, tipped the ball away from the Kings' big man and buried a 3-pointer from the corner.
“Got lucky,” said Strus, who caught Sabonis on a similar play in the first half. “Got him twice. Any play to help impact winning, I’m willing to do so. Got lucky there and made a big shot.”
Mitchell then hit another 3 to put the Cavs ahead 101-82.
The Kings closed within 10 early in the fourth, but Mobley muscled inside for a bucket and the Cavs hit three 3-pointers - two by Caris LeVert - in a span of 79 seconds to regain control.
Afterward, Mitchell said he plans to participate in the All-Star 3-Point contest this month in Indianapolis.
“I don’t think I’m labeled as a shooter, like the guys who are in it are,” Mitchell said. “But I believe I can go out there and win it.”
The game was a homecoming for Brown, who had two stints with the Cavs (2006-10 and 2013-14). Brown has fond memories of his time in Cleveland, where he got his first head coaching gig and raised a family.
This is a big week away from the floor for Brown. His youngest son, Cameron, is a first-year quality control coach for the Super Bowl-bound San Francisco 49ers.
“I think I'm more excited than he is,” cracked Brown, who won't be able to attend the game because the Kings play Sunday at Oklahoma City. “But I'll be watching with my 49ers shirt on.”
UP NEXT
Kings: Host Detroit on Wednesday.
Cavaliers: At Washington on Wednesday.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Domantas Sabonis vs. Jarrett Allen (Max Strus gains possession) | ||
| 11:44 | | Donovan Mitchell misses two point driving layup | ||
| 11:42 |  | Domantas Sabonis defensive rebound | ||
| 11:19 | | Kevin Huerter misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:17 | | Jarrett Allen defensive rebound | ||
| 11:09 | | Max Strus misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:06 | | Darius Garland offensive rebound | ||
| 10:56 | | +3 | Max Strus makes three point jump shot (Jarrett Allen assists) | 0-3 |
| 10:43 | | Jarrett Allen blocks Domantas Sabonis's two point driving layup | ||
| 10:41 | | Domantas Sabonis offensive rebound | ||
| 10:40 | | +2 | Domantas Sabonis makes two point putback layup | 2-3 |
| 10:19 | | Evan Mobley misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 10:17 | | Domantas Sabonis defensive rebound | ||
| 10:08 | | Kevin Huerter misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 10:04 | | Evan Mobley defensive rebound | ||
| 9:57 | | Evan Mobley misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 9:55 | | Domantas Sabonis defensive rebound | ||
| 9:46 | | Harrison Barnes misses two point driving layup | ||
| 9:41 | | Jarrett Allen defensive rebound | ||
| 9:37 | | Darius Garland turnover (bad pass) (De'Aaron Fox steals) | ||
| 9:29 | | Harrison Barnes misses two point running layup | ||
| 9:27 | | Evan Mobley defensive rebound | ||
| 9:24 | | Donovan Mitchell misses two point running reverse layup | ||
| 9:20 | | Harrison Barnes defensive rebound | ||
| 9:16 | | +2 | De'Aaron Fox makes two point running layup | 4-3 |
| 9:07 | | +2 | Donovan Mitchell makes two point cutting dunk (Max Strus assists) | 4-5 |
| 8:36 | | Harrison Barnes misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:32 | | Max Strus defensive rebound | ||
| 8:26 | | +3 | Max Strus makes three point running jump shot (Evan Mobley assists) | 4-8 |
| 8:08 | | +2 | Keegan Murray makes two point driving layup (Domantas Sabonis assists) | 6-8 |
| 7:53 | | Darius Garland misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 7:50 | | De'Aaron Fox defensive rebound | ||
| 7:45 | | De'Aaron Fox misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 7:42 | | Kevin Huerter offensive rebound | ||
| 7:33 | | Keegan Murray misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 7:30 | | Evan Mobley defensive rebound | ||
| 7:24 | | Donovan Mitchell misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:20 | | Domantas Sabonis defensive rebound | ||
| 7:15 | | +3 | Harrison Barnes makes three point running jump shot (Domantas Sabonis assists) | 9-8 |
| 6:58 | | Evan Mobley misses two point turnaround bank jump shot | ||
| 6:56 | | Domantas Sabonis defensive rebound | ||
| 6:52 | | De'Aaron Fox turnover (bad pass) (Donovan Mitchell steals) | ||
| 6:46 | | +2 | Darius Garland makes two point running layup (Evan Mobley assists) | 9-10 |
| 6:36 | | +3 | Harrison Barnes makes three point jump shot (Kevin Huerter assists) | 12-10 |
| 6:24 | | +2 | Donovan Mitchell makes two point driving layup | 12-12 |
| 6:08 | | Jarrett Allen blocks Domantas Sabonis's two point dunk | ||
| 6:04 | | Domantas Sabonis offensive rebound | ||
| 6:01 | | +2 | Domantas Sabonis makes two point putback layup | 14-12 |
| 5:53 | | +3 | Donovan Mitchell makes three point pullup jump shot | 14-15 |
| 5:53 | | Keegan Murray shooting foul (Donovan Mitchell draws the foul) | ||
| 5:53 | | Cavaliers 60 second timeout | ||
| 5:53 | | +1 | Donovan Mitchell makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 14-16 |
| 5:43 | | +3 | Keegan Murray makes three point jump shot (Domantas Sabonis assists) | 17-16 |
| 5:21 | | +2 | Donovan Mitchell makes two point driving layup (Jarrett Allen assists) | 17-18 |
| 5:12 | | Keegan Murray misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:09 | | Dean Wade defensive rebound | ||
| 5:03 | | +3 | Max Strus makes three point running pullup jump shot | 17-21 |
| 4:52 | | +3 | Kevin Huerter makes three point jump shot (Domantas Sabonis assists) | 20-21 |
| 4:40 | | Max Strus misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:37 | | Domantas Sabonis defensive rebound | ||
| 4:22 | | +3 | Keegan Murray makes three point jump shot (Kevin Huerter assists) | 23-21 |
| 4:11 | | +3 | Isaac Okoro makes three point jump shot (Donovan Mitchell assists) | 23-24 |
| 3:53 | | +2 | Keegan Murray makes two point jump shot (Domantas Sabonis assists) | 25-24 |
| 3:39 | | +2 | Jarrett Allen makes two point turnaround hook shot (Donovan Mitchell assists) | 25-26 |
| 3:20 | | +3 | Harrison Barnes makes three point stepback jump shot (Domantas Sabonis assists) | 28-26 |
| 3:05 | | +3 | Donovan Mitchell makes three point stepback jump shot | 28-29 |
| 2:54 | | De'Aaron Fox misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 2:52 | | Dean Wade defensive rebound | ||
| 2:48 | | Keegan Murray personal foul (Donovan Mitchell draws the foul) | ||
| 2:48 | | Kings 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:26 | | +2 | Darius Garland makes two point fadeaway jump shot | 28-31 |
| 2:08 | | +2 | Davion Mitchell makes two point cutting layup (Domantas Sabonis assists) | 30-31 |
| 1:55 | | +3 | Dean Wade makes three point jump shot (Darius Garland assists) | 30-34 |
| 1:39 | | Davion Mitchell misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:35 | | Darius Garland defensive rebound | ||
| 1:23 | | Isaac Okoro misses two point driving bank hook shot | ||
| 1:21 | | Domantas Sabonis defensive rebound | ||
| 1:13 | | +2 | Domantas Sabonis makes two point driving layup (Davion Mitchell assists) | 32-34 |
| 0:54 | | +3 | Darius Garland makes three point pullup jump shot (Caris LeVert assists) | 32-37 |
| 0:46 | | +2 | Malik Monk makes two point fadeaway jump shot (Domantas Sabonis assists) | 34-37 |
| 0:31 | | +2 | Evan Mobley makes two point driving layup | 34-39 |
| 0:12 | | Kevin Huerter misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:10 | | Kings offensive rebound | ||
| 0:10 | | Darius Garland personal foul (Loose ball) (Trey Lyles draws the foul) | ||
| 0:04 | | Trey Lyles misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:01 | | Cavaliers defensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:32 | | JaVale McGee misses three point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 11:29 | | Evan Mobley defensive rebound | ||
| 11:23 | | +2 | Evan Mobley makes two point driving layup | 34-41 |
| 11:10 | | +2 | Malik Monk makes two point fadeaway jump shot | 36-41 |
| 10:44 | | +2 | Evan Mobley makes two point driving floating bank jump shot (Georges Niang assists) | 36-43 |
| 10:28 | | JaVale McGee misses two point hook shot | ||
| 10:26 | | Georges Niang defensive rebound | ||
| 10:20 | | Kessler Edwards personal foul (Darius Garland draws the foul) | ||
| 10:11 | | +2 | Caris LeVert makes two point driving layup | 36-45 |
| 10:03 | | Kessler Edwards misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:00 | | Caris LeVert defensive rebound | ||
| 9:59 | | Kessler Edwards shooting foul (Caris LeVert draws the foul) | ||
| 9:59 | | Caris LeVert misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 9:59 | | Cavaliers offensive rebound | ||
| 9:59 | | +1 | Caris LeVert makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 36-46 |
| 9:51 | | +3 | Kessler Edwards makes three point jump shot (De'Aaron Fox assists) | 39-46 |
| 9:38 | | Caris LeVert turnover (bad pass) (De'Aaron Fox steals) | ||
| 9:33 | | De'Aaron Fox turnover (palming) | ||
| 9:17 | | Georges Niang misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:15 | | Cavaliers offensive rebound | ||
| 9:12 | | JaVale McGee personal foul (Evan Mobley draws the foul) | ||
| 9:00 | | Caris LeVert misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 9:00 | | Evan Mobley offensive rebound | ||
| 9:00 | | Malik Monk shooting foul (Evan Mobley draws the foul) | ||
| 9:00 | | +1 | Evan Mobley makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 39-47 |
| 9:00 | | Evan Mobley misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 8:55 | | JaVale McGee defensive rebound | ||
| 8:54 | | Isaac Okoro personal foul (De'Aaron Fox draws the foul) | ||
| 8:47 | | +2 | De'Aaron Fox makes two point driving finger roll layup | 41-47 |
| 8:36 | | +3 | Isaac Okoro makes three point jump shot (Darius Garland assists) | 41-50 |
| 8:05 | | De'Aaron Fox misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 8:02 | | Evan Mobley defensive rebound | ||
| 7:54 | | Evan Mobley misses two point driving layup | ||
| 7:52 | | De'Aaron Fox defensive rebound | ||
| 7:43 | | +2 | Kessler Edwards makes two point reverse layup (Trey Lyles assists) | 43-50 |
| 7:24 | | Sam Merrill misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 7:22 | | Trey Lyles defensive rebound | ||
| 7:04 | | Kessler Edwards misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:59 | | Evan Mobley defensive rebound | ||
| 6:51 | | Evan Mobley misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:48 | | Trey Lyles defensive rebound | ||
| 6:43 | | Trey Lyles misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:39 | | Caris LeVert defensive rebound | ||
| 6:36 | | Georges Niang misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 6:31 | | Caris LeVert offensive rebound | ||
| 6:31 | | Caris LeVert misses two point tip layup | ||
| 6:30 | | JaVale McGee defensive rebound | ||
| 6:27 | | Kings 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:21 | | +2 | Trey Lyles makes two point reverse layup (Davion Mitchell assists) | 45-50 |
| 6:21 | | Georges Niang shooting foul (Trey Lyles draws the foul) | ||
| 6:21 | | +1 | Trey Lyles makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 46-50 |
| 6:07 | | +3 | Sam Merrill makes three point jump shot (Donovan Mitchell assists) | 46-53 |
| 5:50 | | Keegan Murray misses two point jump shot | ||
| 5:50 | | Cavaliers defensive rebound | ||
| 5:35 | | +3 | Caris LeVert makes three point jump shot (Georges Niang assists) | 46-56 |
| 5:19 | | +2 | Malik Monk makes two point driving layup | 48-56 |
| 5:05 | | Jarrett Allen misses two point reverse layup | ||
| 5:04 | | Jarrett Allen offensive rebound | ||
| 4:57 | | +2 | Jarrett Allen makes two point alley-oop layup (Caris LeVert assists) | 48-58 |
| 4:44 | | Malik Monk misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 4:41 | | Georges Niang defensive rebound | ||
| 4:32 | | Caris LeVert misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 4:30 | | Keegan Murray defensive rebound | ||
| 4:22 | | Keegan Murray misses two point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 4:20 | | Donovan Mitchell defensive rebound | ||
| 4:16 | | Davion Mitchell personal foul (Jarrett Allen draws the foul) | ||
| 4:16 | | +1 | Jarrett Allen makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 48-59 |
| 4:16 | | +1 | Jarrett Allen makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 48-60 |
| 4:03 | | Harrison Barnes misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:00 | | Max Strus defensive rebound | ||
| 3:56 | | +2 | Jarrett Allen makes two point running dunk (Donovan Mitchell assists) | 48-62 |
| 3:48 | | Donovan Mitchell personal foul (Kevin Huerter draws the foul) | ||
| 3:35 | | +2 | Domantas Sabonis makes two point driving dunk | 50-62 |
| 3:19 | | +3 | Donovan Mitchell makes three point jump shot (Sam Merrill assists) | 50-65 |
| 3:07 | | +2 | Harrison Barnes makes two point driving floating jump shot (Domantas Sabonis assists) | 52-65 |
| 2:57 | | Isaac Okoro turnover (bad pass) (Harrison Barnes steals) | ||
| 2:52 | | +2 | Harrison Barnes makes two point running layup | 54-65 |
| 2:37 | | Donovan Mitchell misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:34 | | Domantas Sabonis defensive rebound | ||
| 2:21 | | De'Aaron Fox turnover (bad pass) (Sam Merrill steals) | ||
| 2:15 | | +3 | Sam Merrill makes three point running pullup jump shot | 54-68 |
| 2:02 | | +3 | De'Aaron Fox makes three point jump shot (Domantas Sabonis assists) | 57-68 |
| 1:42 | | +2 | Jarrett Allen makes two point driving layup (Sam Merrill assists) | 57-70 |
| 1:35 | | Kevin Huerter turnover (lost ball) (Isaac Okoro steals) | ||
| 1:33 | | Harrison Barnes shooting foul (Isaac Okoro draws the foul) | ||
| 1:33 | | Cavaliers 60 second timeout | ||
| 1:33 | | Isaac Okoro misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 1:33 | | Cavaliers offensive rebound | ||
| 1:33 | | +1 | Isaac Okoro makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 57-71 |
| 1:20 | | Jarrett Allen personal foul (Domantas Sabonis draws the foul) | ||
| 1:08 | | Domantas Sabonis offensive foul (Jarrett Allen draws the foul) | ||
| 1:08 | | Domantas Sabonis turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 0:45 | | Donovan Mitchell misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 0:43 | | Domantas Sabonis defensive rebound | ||
| 0:30 | | Isaac Okoro blocks De'Aaron Fox's two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 0:26 | | De'Aaron Fox offensive rebound |