Game ID: 22300210
Denver Nuggets @ Cleveland Cavaliers
Sunday, November 19, 2023 at 6:00 PM ET
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, OH
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
CLE 29 37 26 29 121DEN 27 31 17 34 109
CLE vs DEN ScoutingCLE vs DEN Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
CLE availability going into 11/11 · 2 days' restOUT Okoro missed 2 since 11/05, out tonight
OUT Porter Jr. missed 3 since 11/03, returns tonight: 2 min (12% of 13)
BACK Garland back 11/03 after 4, 33 min since (97% of 34)
BACK Merrill back 11/05 after 2, 1 min since (7% of 17)
CLE availability going into 11/13 · 1 day's restOUT Okoro missed 3 since 11/05, out tonight
OUT Merrill missed 2 since 11/08, returns tonight: 3 min (18% of 17)
BACK Garland back 11/03 after 4, 34 min since (99% of 34)
BACK Porter Jr. back 11/11 after 3, 2 min since (12% of 13)
CLE availability going into 11/15 · 1 day's restOUT Okoro missed 4 since 11/05, out tonight
BACK Garland back 11/03 after 4, 34 min since (99% of 34)
BACK Merrill back 11/05 after 2, 2 min since (12% of 17)
BACK Porter Jr. back 11/11 after 3, 2 min since (18% of 13)
CLE availability going into 11/17 · 1 day's restOUT Okoro missed 5 since 11/05, out tonight
BACK Merrill back 11/05 after 2, 2 min since (11% of 17)
BACK Porter Jr. back 11/11 after 3, 5 min since (36% of 13)
CLE availability going into 11/19 · 1 day's restOUT Okoro missed 6 since 11/05, out tonight
BACK Merrill back 11/13 after 2, 2 min since (10% of 17)
BACK Porter Jr. back 11/11 after 3, 7 min since (58% of 13)
CLE availability going into 11/21 · 1 day's restOUT Mitchell missed 2 since 11/17, out tonight
OUT Okoro missed 7 since 11/05, out tonight
BACK Merrill back 11/13 after 2, 7 min since (43% of 17)
BACK Porter Jr. back 11/11 after 3, 11 min since (86% of 13)
CLE availability going into 11/22 · back-to-backOUT Mitchell missed 3 since 11/17, out tonight
OUT LeVert missed 2 since 11/19, returns tonight: 18 min (65% of 28)
OUT Okoro missed 8 since 11/05, out tonight
BACK Merrill back 11/13 after 2, 7 min since (41% of 17)
CLE availability going into 11/25 · 2 days' restOUT Mitchell missed 4 since 11/17, returns tonight: 35 min (98% of 36)
OUT Okoro missed 9 since 11/05, returns tonight: 18 min (70% of 26)
BACK LeVert back 11/22 after 2, 18 min since (65% of 28)
NEW Wade 20 to 27 min over the last 4
NEW Porter Jr. 13 to 22 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 11/26 · back-to-backOUT Wade missed 2 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 11/25 after 4, 35 min since (98% of 36)
BACK LeVert back 11/22 after 2, 22 min since (78% of 28)
BACK Okoro back 11/25 after 9, 18 min since (70% of 26)
NEW Porter Jr. 13 to 24 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 11/08 · 1 day's restOUT Holiday missed 3 since 11/03, returns tonight: 8 min (54% of 15)
BACK Jordan back 11/04 after 6, 12 min since (113% of 11)
DEN availability going into 11/12 · 3 days' restOUT Murray missed 2 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Jordan missed 2 since 11/06, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 11/08 after 3, 8 min since (54% of 15)
DEN availability going into 11/14 · 1 day's restOUT Murray missed 3 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Jordan missed 3 since 11/06, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 11/08 after 3, 8 min since (54% of 15)
NEW Jackson 21 to 26 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 11/17 · 2 days' restOUT Murray missed 4 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Jordan missed 4 since 11/06, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 11/08 after 3, 5 min since (33% of 15)
NEW Jackson 21 to 28 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 11/19 · 1 day's restOUT Murray missed 5 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Jordan missed 5 since 11/06, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 11/08 after 3, 5 min since (33% of 15)
NEW Gordon 32 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Jackson 21 to 30 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 11/20 · back-to-backOUT Murray missed 6 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Jordan missed 6 since 11/06, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 11/08 after 3, 9 min since (61% of 15)
NEW Jackson 21 to 29 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 11/22 · 1 day's restOUT Murray missed 7 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Jordan missed 7 since 11/06, out tonight
NEW Jackson 21 to 29 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 11/24 · 1 day's restOUT Murray missed 8 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Holiday missed 2 since 11/20, returns tonight: 13 min (86% of 15)
OUT Jordan missed 8 since 11/06, out tonight
NEW Jackson 21 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Braun 20 to 26 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 11/26 · 1 day's restOUT Murray missed 9 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Jordan missed 9 since 11/06, returns tonight: 12 min (114% of 11)
BACK Holiday back 11/24 after 2, 13 min since (86% of 15)
NEW Jackson 21 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Braun 20 to 27 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 113, shooting 50 percent and 37 from three, 28 free throws a game; Mitchell at 24 and LeVert at 20 a game. Without Okoro (6 straight). One day's rest. Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 110, shooting 49 percent and 31 from three, 21 free throws a game; Jokić at 33 and Porter Jr. at 18 a game. Without Murray (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the arc, Cleveland at 37 percent from three to Denver's 31 and the line, where Cleveland takes 28 free throws a game to Denver's 21. Call it Cleveland 113, Denver 112, Denver keeping it close.
11/11 @ GSW 118-110 — CLE notes
CLE won 118-110. CLE shot 43% (37 of 86) to GSW's 41%, 11 of 30 from three, and went to the line 43 times to GSW's 30 — 33 points from the stripe to their 23. CLE turned it over 10 times to GSW's 20. The glass went 45-55 against them. LeVert led with 22 (8 of 18, 2 of 7 from three); Mitchell added 21, Garland 19. The hinge was Q2, 38-21: CLE came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 16. LeVert was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
11/13 @ SAC 120-132 — CLE notes
CLE lost 120-132. CLE took 8 more shots (91 to 83), fed by 14 offensive rebounds, but shot 49% to SAC's 59%, 16 of 35 from three. Mitchell led with 22 (7 of 21, 4 of 9 from three); LeVert added 21, Strus 19. Q4 was theirs, 31-22, the deficit cut from 21 to 12, but the other 3 periods went 110-89 against them. Allen's -25 in 22 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/15 @ POR 109-95 — CLE notes
CLE won 109-95. CLE shot 56% (42 of 75) to POR's 37%, 9 of 30 from three. CLE turned it over 17 times to POR's 12, and POR turned those into 9 steals. The glass went 47-30 for them. Mitchell led with 34 (13 of 20, 5 of 8 from three); Mobley added 21, LeVert 17. The hinge was Q4, 26-20: a lead of 8 became 14, and the lead reached 18. Mobley was the night's best plus/minus at +26.
11/17 vs DET 108-100 — CLE notes
CLE won 108-100. CLE shot 51% (42 of 82) to DET's 43%, 9 of 21 from three, and went to the line 21 times to DET's 15 — 15 points from the stripe to their 13. CLE turned it over 12 times to DET's 17. The glass went 39-51 against them. Garland led with 28 (10 of 19, 2 of 5 from three, 6 of 8 at the line); Strus added 18, Mobley 18. The hinge was Q1, 35-26: from level to 9 ahead, and the lead reached 16. Niang was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
11/19 vs DEN 121-109 — CLE notes
CLE won 121-109. CLE shot 55% (45 of 82) to DEN's 48%, 11 of 27 from three. The glass went 47-33 for them. Garland led with 26 (10 of 16, 2 of 4 from three); Porter added 21, Mobley 16. The hinge was Q3, 26-17: a lead of 8 became 17, and the lead reached 26. Allen was the night's best plus/minus at +42.
11/21 @ PHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Philadelphia comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 118, shooting 48 percent and 40 from three, 25 free throws a game; Embiid at 32 and Maxey at 28 a game. Without Oubre Jr. (5 straight). One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 109, shooting 51 percent and 39 from three, 26 free throws a game; Mitchell at 26 and Garland at 22 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Mitchell (2 straight), Okoro (7 straight). One day's rest.
So: Philadelphia wins, and the game turns on the defense, Cleveland allowing 109 a night to Philadelphia's 118. Call it Philadelphia 117, Cleveland 113, Cleveland keeping it close.
11/22 vs MIA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 111, shooting 52 percent and 39 from three, 22 free throws a game; Garland at 26 and Eva. Mobley at 18 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has won the glass by 7 a night. Without Mitchell (3 straight), LeVert (2 straight), Okoro (8 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Miami comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 107, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 25 free throws a game; Butler III at 26 and Adebayo at 22 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Herro (6 straight), Jović (10 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-7 a night and Miami minus-5 and the turnovers, Cleveland giving it away 14 times a game to Miami's 9. Call it Cleveland 112, Miami 111, Miami keeping it close.
11/25 vs LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 110, shooting 51 percent and 39 from three, 21 free throws a game; Garland at 25 and Eva. Mobley at 17 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Mitchell (4 straight), Okoro (9 straight). 2 days' rest. The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 105, shooting 50 percent and 35 from three, 23 free throws a game; James at 29 and Davis at 18 a game. Without Vanderbilt (3 straight), Vincent (12 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Cleveland wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Cleveland 111, the Lakers 110, the Lakers keeping it close.
11/26 vs TOR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 116, shooting 50 percent and 40 from three, 22 free throws a game; Garland at 21 and Eva. Mobley at 17 a game. Without Wade (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Toronto comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 117, shooting 52 percent and 39 from three, 24 free throws a game; Siakam at 23 and Schröder at 21 a game. Without Freeman-Liberty (14 straight), Young (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: Toronto wins, on the road, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Toronto 115, Cleveland 114, Cleveland keeping it close.
11/08 vs GSW 108-105 — DEN notes
DEN won 108-105. DEN shot 45% (41 of 92) to GSW's 43%, 11 of 35 from three. Jokić led with 35 (14 of 25, 1 of 8 from three, 6 of 10 at the line); Jackson added 20, Porter Jr. 17. The hinge was Q1, 26-21: from level to 5 ahead. Porter Jr. was the night's best plus/minus at +13.
11/12 @ HOU 104-107 — DEN notes
DEN lost 104-107. DEN shot 46% (42 of 91) to HOU's 43%, 9 of 32 from three, and got to the line 14 times to HOU's 29. Jokić led with 36 (13 of 26, 2 of 6 from three, 8 of 8 at the line); Porter Jr. added 25, Gordon 16. Q1 was theirs, 30-23, but the other 3 periods went 84-74 against them. Nnaji's -18 in 11 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/14 vs LAC 111-108 — DEN notes
DEN won 111-108. DEN shot 53% (39 of 73) to LAC's 43%, 8 of 23 from three, and went to the line 32 times to LAC's 24 — 25 points from the stripe to their 21. Jokić led with 32 (8 of 23, 2 of 7 from three, 14 of 14 at the line); Gordon added 20, Jackson 18. The hinge was Q2, 32-26: a lead of 2 became 8. Jackson was the night's best plus/minus at +9.
11/17 @ NOP 110-115 — DEN notes
DEN lost 110-115. DEN took 8 more shots (96 to 88), fed by 11 offensive rebounds, but shot 49% to NOP's 52%, 10 of 40 from three, and got to the line just 12 times against 20 fouls committed. The glass went 51-39 for them. Jokić led with 26 (10 of 20, 1 of 8 from three); Braun added 25, Porter Jr. 18. Q3 was theirs, 33-26, the deficit cut from 16 to 9, but the other 3 periods went 89-77 against them. Strawther's -16 in 8 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/19 @ CLE 109-121 — DEN notes
DEN lost 109-121. DEN shot 48% (39 of 82) to CLE's 55%, 14 of 29 from three. The glass went 33-47 against them. Porter Jr. led with 21 (7 of 15, 5 of 9 from three); Jokić added 18, Braun 13. Q4 was theirs, 34-29, the deficit cut from 17 to 12, but the other 3 periods went 92-75 against them. Porter Jr.'s -31 in 27 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/20 @ DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Detroit comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 122, shooting 46 percent and 31 from three, 24 free throws a game; Cunningham at 16 and Burks at 14 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Duren (4 straight), Livers (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 111, shooting 48 percent and 33 from three, 21 free throws a game; Jokić at 29 and Porter Jr. at 18 a game. Without Murray (6 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Denver wins, on the road, and the game turns on the turnovers, Detroit giving it away 17 times a game to Denver's 11 and the defense, Denver allowing 111 a night to Detroit's 122. Call it Denver 114, Detroit 111, Detroit keeping it close.
11/22 @ ORL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Orlando comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 108, shooting 46 percent and 34 from three, 27 free throws a game; Banchero at 20 and F. Wagner at 18 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Without Carter Jr. (9 straight), Fultz (6 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 111, shooting 48 percent and 34 from three, 20 free throws a game; Jokić at 24 and Porter Jr. at 18 a game. Without Murray (7 straight). One day's rest.
So: Orlando wins, and the game turns on the line, where Orlando takes 27 free throws a game to Denver's 20. Call it Orlando 111, Denver 108, Denver keeping it close.
11/24 @ HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 105, shooting 45 percent and 33 from three, 20 free throws a game; Sengun at 22 and Ja. Green at 18 a game. Without Thompson (9 straight), Whitmore (7 straight). One day's rest. Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 114, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; Jokić at 23 and Porter Jr. at 18 a game. Without Murray (8 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the defense, Houston allowing 105 a night to Denver's 114 and the arc, Denver at 37 percent from three to Houston's 33. Call it Houston 111, Denver 108, Denver keeping it close.
11/26 vs SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 114, shooting 45 percent and 35 from three, 20 free throws a game; Jokić at 24 and Porter Jr. at 18 a game. Without Murray (9 straight). One day's rest. San Antonio comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 120, shooting 43 percent and 32 from three, 20 free throws a game; Johnson at 20 and Wembanyama at 20 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Champagnie (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the defense, Denver allowing 114 a night to San Antonio's 120 and the turnovers, San Antonio giving it away 16 times a game to Denver's 13. Call it Denver 116, San Antonio 109.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
DENAG A. Gordon
CB C. Braun
GI Gillespie
HT H. Tyson
JH J. Holiday
JP J. Pickett
JS J. Strawther
JO Jokic
KC K. Caldwell-Pope
MP M. Porter Jr.
NJ N. Jokić
RJ R. Jackson
ZN Z. Nnaji
CLECP C. Porter Jr.
DG D. Garland
DW D. Wade
EB E. Bates
EM E. Mobley
GN G. Niang
JA J. Allen
MS M. Strus
PO Porter
SM S. Merrill
TT T. Thompson
DEN/CLE the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Darius Garland scores 26 points as the Cavaliers beat the defending champion Nuggets 121-109
CLEVELAND -- — Darius Garland scored 26 points and undrafted rookie Craig Porter Jr. had a career-high 21 points, powering the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 121-109 victory over the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets on Sunday night.
Evan Mobley had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Jarrett Allen added 15 points for Cleveland, which built a season-high 26-point lead en route to winning its third in a row. The Cavaliers outscored Denver by 42 in the 29 minutes that Allen was on the court.
“Everyone stepped up to the plate, that’s what got us the win,” Mobley said. “J.A. played a huge part with putting pressure on the rim. Between him and me and D.G., it was just a work of art playing basketball the right way and doing things together.”
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic battled foul trouble and had 18 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in 28 minutes. The two-time MVP had been the first player to start a season with 12 games of at least 20 points and 10 rebounds since Elgin Baylor in 1967.
“They were better than us today,” Jokic said. “I thought we played a little stagnant and needed more movement. They were getting whatever they wanted on the offensive glass and in the lane.”
Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell , who is averaging 29.2 points, was inactive with a right hamstring strain and sixth man Caris LeVert did not play because of a sore left knee.
Cleveland, which did not trail in the final three quarters, outrebounded the Nuggets 47-33 with power forward Mobley and center Allen both fronting and playing behind Jokic on many possessions.
“Give all credit to our bigs, they did a hell of a job guarding Jokic and made it hard for him to catch the ball,” said Garland, who also had six assists. “We were a little short-handed and our defense carried us the entire game. That was the key, I thought.”
Michael Porter Jr . scored 21 points and Christian Braun had 13 points off the bench for Denver, which dropped its fourth straight on the road after winning its first two. The Nuggets are 0-2 on a five-game trip that ends Friday in Houston.
“We're not rebounding as a team,” Jokic said. “Sometimes we don't box out and sometimes it's lucky bounces, but those are excuses.”
Garland scored 16 points and Mobley had 12 in the first half as the Cavaliers took a 66-58 advantage into the break. Allen scored their first eight points in the third, then absorbed a flagrant foul from Jokic minutes later that was his fifth personal.
“I thought Jarrett was phenomenal, taking the challenge guarding one of the best players in our game,” Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “He made Jokic work for everything.”
Nuggets shooting guard Jamal Murray , who missed his sixth straight game with a right hamstring strain, is traveling with the team. Coach Michael Malone has not ruled out him returning on the trip.