Game ID: 22300658
LA Clippers @ Cleveland Cavaliers
Monday, January 29, 2024 at 7:00 PM ET
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, OH
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
CLE 28 28 32 30 118LAC 25 27 29 27 108
CLE vs LAC ScoutingCLE vs LAC 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 1/20 · 2 days' restOUT Garland missed 14 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 18 since 12/08, out tonight
BACK Porter Jr. back 1/17 after 2, 20 min since (157% of 13)
NEW Merrill 17 to 25 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 1/22 · 1 day's restOUT Garland missed 15 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 19 since 12/08, out tonight
BACK Porter Jr. back 1/17 after 2, 20 min since (160% of 13)
NEW Merrill 17 to 25 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 1/24 · 1 day's restOUT Garland missed 16 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 20 since 12/08, out tonight
OUT LeVert missed 2 since 1/20, returns tonight: 28 min (99% of 28)
BACK Porter Jr. back 1/17 after 2, 21 min since (164% of 13)
NEW Merrill 17 to 27 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 1/26 · 1 day's restOUT Garland missed 17 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 21 since 12/08, out tonight
BACK LeVert back 1/24 after 2, 28 min since (99% of 28)
BACK Porter Jr. back 1/17 after 2, 16 min since (126% of 13)
NEW Merrill 17 to 26 min over the last 5
NEW Thompson 11 to 17 min over the last 4
CLE availability going into 1/29 · 2 days' restOUT Garland missed 18 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 22 since 12/08, returns tonight: 21 min (66% of 32)
OUT Thompson missed 2 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK LeVert back 1/24 after 2, 26 min since (92% of 28)
BACK Porter Jr. back 1/17 after 2, 16 min since (126% of 13)
NEW Merrill 17 to 25 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 1/31 · 1 day's restOUT Garland missed 19 since 12/16, returns tonight: 20 min (61% of 34)
OUT Porter Jr. missed 2 since 1/26, out tonight
OUT Thompson missed 3 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK Eva. Mobley back 1/29 after 22, 21 min since (66% of 32)
BACK LeVert back 1/24 after 2, 25 min since (89% of 28)
NEW Merrill 17 to 23 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 2/01 · back-to-backOUT Porter Jr. missed 3 since 1/26, out tonight
OUT Thompson missed 4 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK Garland back 1/31 after 19, 20 min since (61% of 34)
BACK Eva. Mobley back 1/29 after 22, 22 min since (69% of 32)
BACK LeVert back 1/24 after 2, 25 min since (89% of 28)
CLE availability going into 2/03 · 1 day's restOUT Porter Jr. missed 4 since 1/26, returns tonight: 0 min (4% of 13)
OUT Thompson missed 5 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK Garland back 1/31 after 19, 22 min since (66% of 34)
BACK Eva. Mobley back 1/29 after 22, 22 min since (69% of 32)
BACK LeVert back 1/24 after 2, 26 min since (91% of 28)
CLE availability going into 2/05 · 1 day's restOUT Thompson missed 6 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK Garland back 1/31 after 19, 23 min since (67% of 34)
BACK Eva. Mobley back 1/29 after 22, 22 min since (71% of 32)
BACK Porter Jr. back 2/03 after 4, 0 min since (4% of 13)
LAC availability going into 1/21 · 4 days' restOUT Zubac missed 2 since 1/14, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 24 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 6 since 1/07, out tonight
OUT Boston missed 2 since 1/14, out tonight
BACK Plumlee back 1/14 after 2, 22 min since (155% of 14)
LAC availability going into 1/23 · 1 day's restOUT Zubac missed 3 since 1/14, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 25 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 7 since 1/07, out tonight
OUT Boston missed 3 since 1/14, out tonight
BACK Plumlee back 1/14 after 2, 20 min since (138% of 14)
LAC availability going into 1/26 · 2 days' restOUT Zubac missed 4 since 1/14, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 26 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 8 since 1/07, returns tonight: 2 min (12% of 14)
OUT Boston missed 4 since 1/14, returns tonight: 2 min (16% of 10)
BACK Plumlee back 1/14 after 2, 20 min since (138% of 14)
LAC availability going into 1/27 · back-to-backOUT Zubac missed 5 since 1/14, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 27 since 11/29, out tonight
BACK Plumlee back 1/14 after 2, 21 min since (145% of 14)
BACK Hyland back 1/26 after 8, 2 min since (12% of 14)
BACK Boston back 1/26 after 4, 2 min since (16% of 10)
LAC availability going into 1/29 · 1 day's restOUT Zubac missed 6 since 1/14, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 28 since 11/29, out tonight
BACK Hyland back 1/26 after 8, 6 min since (43% of 14)
BACK Boston back 1/26 after 4, 6 min since (59% of 10)
NEW Plumlee 14 to 22 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 1/31 · 1 day's restOUT Zubac missed 7 since 1/14, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 29 since 11/29, out tonight
BACK Hyland back 1/26 after 8, 6 min since (43% of 14)
BACK Boston back 1/26 after 4, 4 min since (41% of 10)
NEW Plumlee 14 to 21 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 2/02 · 1 day's restOUT Zubac missed 8 since 1/14, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 30 since 11/29, out tonight
BACK Hyland back 1/26 after 8, 6 min since (42% of 14)
BACK Boston back 1/26 after 4, 10 min since (98% of 10)
NEW Plumlee 14 to 21 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 2/04 · 1 day's restOUT Zubac missed 9 since 1/14, returns tonight: 18 min (68% of 27)
OUT Tucker missed 31 since 11/29, out tonight
BACK Hyland back 1/26 after 8, 6 min since (42% of 14)
BACK Boston back 1/26 after 4, 8 min since (84% of 10)
NEW Plumlee 14 to 23 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 2/05 · back-to-backOUT Tucker missed 32 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 2 since 2/02, out tonight
BACK Zubac back 2/04 after 9, 18 min since (68% of 27)
NEW Plumlee 14 to 23 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 4-1 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 103, shooting 51 percent and 41 from three, 21 free throws a game; Mitchell at 26 and Allen at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Garland (18 straight), Eva. Mobley (22 straight). 2 days' rest. The Clippers come in 5-0 over their last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 110, shooting 51 percent and 39 from three, 22 free throws a game; George at 21 and Leonard at 21 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Zubac (6 straight), Tucker (28 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the defense, Cleveland allowing 103 a night to the Clippers' 110. Call it Cleveland 115, the Clippers 113, the Clippers keeping it close.
1/20 @ ATL 116-95 — CLE notes
CLE won 116-95. CLE shot 51% (43 of 85) to ATL's 40%, 16 of 43 from three. Mitchell led with 18 (6 of 17, 0 of 6 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Merrill added 18, Wade 17. The hinge was Q2, 34-25: a lead of 5 became 14, and the lead reached 27. Okoro was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
1/22 @ ORL 126-99 — CLE notes
CLE won 126-99. CLE shot 56% (45 of 80) to ORL's 46%, 20 of 38 from three, and got to the line 22 times to ORL's 30. CLE turned it over 9 times to ORL's 15. Merrill led with 26 (8 of 13, 8 of 13 from three); Mitchell added 25, Allen 14. The hinge was Q1, 38-19: from level to 19 ahead, and the lead reached 36. Mitchell was the night's best plus/minus at +34.
1/24 @ MIL 116-126 — CLE notes
CLE lost 116-126. CLE shot 51% (46 of 91) to MIL's 50%, 13 of 38 from three, and got to the line 15 times to MIL's 28. Mitchell led with 23 (10 of 24, 2 of 11 from three); Allen added 21, Strus 14. Q4 was theirs, 37-33, the deficit cut from 14 to 10, but the other 3 periods went 93-79 against them. Allen's -17 in 32 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/26 @ MIL 112-100 — CLE notes
CLE won 112-100. CLE shot 41% (38 of 92) to MIL's 40%, 14 of 36 from three, and went to the line 31 times to MIL's 24 — 22 points from the stripe to their 17. CLE turned it over 13 times to MIL's 18. Mitchell led with 32 (12 of 27, 6 of 12 from three); Allen added 24, LeVert 12. The hinge was Q4, 32-23: a lead of 3 became 12, and the lead reached 17. CLE trailed 54-57 at the half and won the second half 58-43. Mitchell was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
1/29 vs LAC 118-108 — CLE notes
CLE won 118-108. CLE shot 49% (42 of 86) to LAC's 48%, 13 of 40 from three. Mitchell led with 28 (11 of 21, 2 of 10 from three, 4 of 6 at the line); Allen added 20, Okoro 17. The hinge was Q1, 28-25: from level to 3 ahead. Wade was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
1/31 vs DET — 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 118 a night and allowing 106, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 22 free throws a game; Mitchell at 25 and Allen at 19 a game. Without Garland (19 straight). One day's rest. Detroit comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 118, shooting 47 percent and 40 from three, 25 free throws a game; Bogdanović at 23 and Burks at 15 a game. Without Wiseman (4 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the defense, Cleveland allowing 106 a night to Detroit's 118 and the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-2 a night and Detroit minus-3. Call it Cleveland 119, Detroit 110.
2/01 @ MEM — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Memphis comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 104, shooting 44 percent and 39 from three, 21 free throws a game; Jackson Jr. at 24 and Williams Jr. at 18 a game. Without Bane (9 straight), Kennard (2 straight), LaRavia (8 straight). 2 days' rest. Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 111, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 23 free throws a game; Mitchell at 31 and Allen at 19 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Cleveland wins, on the road, and the game turns on the turnovers, Memphis giving it away 15 times a game to Cleveland's 11 and the defense, Memphis allowing 104 a night to Cleveland's 111. Call it Cleveland 111, Memphis 110, Memphis keeping it close.
2/03 @ SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 110, shooting 48 percent and 33 from three, 20 free throws a game; Vassell at 24 and Wembanyama at 21 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Johnson (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 111, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 23 free throws a game; Mitchell at 31 and Allen at 19 a game. That is 4 straight wins. One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where San Antonio has been plus-6 a night and Cleveland plus-1 and the turnovers, San Antonio giving it away 16 times a game to Cleveland's 12. Call it Cleveland 115, San Antonio 112, San Antonio keeping it close.
2/05 vs SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 106, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 22 free throws a game; Mitchell at 32 and Allen at 20 a game. That is 5 straight wins. One day's rest. Sacramento comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 112, shooting 51 percent and 34 from three, 23 free throws a game; Fox at 27 and Sabonis at 19 a game. Without Ellis (7 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Sacramento giving it away 15 times a game to Cleveland's 12 and the defense, Cleveland allowing 106 a night to Sacramento's 112. Call it Cleveland 116, Sacramento 112, Sacramento keeping it close.
1/21 vs BKN 125-114 — LAC notes
LAC won 125-114. LAC shot 51% (42 of 83) to BKN's 49%, 13 of 26 from three, and went to the line 33 times to BKN's 16 — 28 points from the stripe to their 12. Harden led with 24 (6 of 11, 3 of 6 from three, 9 of 9 at the line); Westbrook added 23, Leonard 21. The hinge was Q4, 41-15: LAC came in trailing by 15 and left it ahead by 11. LAC trailed 49-61 at the half and won the second half 76-53. Westbrook was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
1/23 vs LAL 127-116 — LAC notes
LAC won 127-116. LAC shot 59% (52 of 88) to LAL's 49%, 14 of 27 from three, and got to the line 12 times to LAL's 22. Leonard led with 25 (11 of 16); Harden added 23, George 17. The hinge was Q2, 42-35: a lead of 6 became 13, and the lead reached 16. Leonard was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
1/26 @ TOR 127-107 — LAC notes
LAC won 127-107. LAC shot 51% (48 of 95) to TOR's 46%, 9 of 32 from three. Harden led with 22 (8 of 14, 2 of 7 from three); George added 21, Westbrook 20. The hinge was Q1, 29-20: from level to 9 ahead, and the lead reached 21. Harden was the night's best plus/minus at +27.
1/27 @ BOS 115-96 — LAC notes
LAC won 115-96. LAC shot 44% (45 of 102) to BOS's 36%, 10 of 40 from three. Leonard led with 26 (10 of 15, 3 of 5 from three); Theis added 18, George 17. The hinge was Q3, 36-21: a lead of 16 became 31, and the lead reached 36. Harden was the night's best plus/minus at +36.
1/29 @ CLE 108-118 — LAC notes
LAC lost 108-118. LAC shot 48% (38 of 80) to CLE's 49%, 11 of 34 from three. Leonard led with 30 (13 of 25, 2 of 7 from three); Powell added 18, Coffey 13. Q2 was theirs, 27-28, but the other 3 periods went 90-81 against them. Plumlee's -11 in 22 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/31 @ WAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Washington comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 114, shooting 48 percent and 32 from three, 23 free throws a game; Kuzma at 22 and Bagley III at 15 a game. One day's rest. The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 110, shooting 50 percent and 36 from three, 23 free throws a game; Leonard at 24 and Harden at 18 a game. Without Zubac (7 straight), Tucker (29 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, on the road, and the game turns on the turnovers, Washington giving it away 14 times a game to the Clippers' 11. Call it the Clippers 118, Washington 113.
2/02 @ DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Detroit comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 116, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 23 free throws a game; Bogdanović at 23 and Ivey at 14 a game. Without Wiseman (5 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 109, shooting 49 percent and 34 from three, 21 free throws a game; Leonard at 26 and Harden at 18 a game. Without Zubac (8 straight), Tucker (30 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Detroit at 39 percent from three to the Clippers' 34 and the defense, the Clippers allowing 109 a night to Detroit's 116. Call it the Clippers 118, Detroit 113.
2/04 @ MIA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Miami comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 119, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; Butler III at 25 and Herro at 17 a game. Without Robinson (2 straight), Jović (3 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 111, shooting 50 percent and 34 from three, 22 free throws a game; Leonard at 27 and George at 17 a game. Without Zubac (9 straight), Tucker (31 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, the Clippers allowing 111 a night to Miami's 119. Call it the Clippers 117, Miami 112.
2/05 @ ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Atlanta comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 135 a night and allowing 130, shooting 50 percent and 37 from three, 26 free throws a game; Young at 31 and Murray at 22 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Without Krejčí (21 straight), Fernando (7 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 109, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; Leonard at 29 and George at 16 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Tucker (32 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Atlanta wins, and the game turns on the defense, the Clippers allowing 109 a night to Atlanta's 130. Call it Atlanta 121, the Clippers 120, the Clippers keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
CLECL C. LeVert
DM D. Mitchell
DW D. Wade
EM E. Mobley
GN G. Niang
IO I. Okoro
JA J. Allen
MS M. Strus
SM S. Merrill
LACAC A. Coffey
DT D. Theis
JH J. Harden
KL K. Leonard
MP M. Plumlee
NP N. Powell
PG P. George
RW R. Westbrook
TM T. Mann
CLE/LAC 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
Donovan Mitchell scores 28, Jarrett Allen gets 20 points, 17 rebounds as Cavs down Clippers 118-108
CLEVELAND -- — Still not at full strength, the Cavaliers flexed on one of the NBA's hottest teams.
Donovan Mitchell had 28 points and 12 assists and Jarrett Allen extended his double-double streak to 15 straight games as Cleveland welcomed back Evan Mobley with a 118-108 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night.
Isaac Okoro added 17 points — all in the first half — as the Cavs held off a late comeback and ended L.A.'s winning streak at five. They also handed the Clippers just their fifth loss in 27 games since Dec. 2.
Cleveland, meanwhile, is 10-1 since Jan. 3 and the Cavs aren't quite whole.
Allen finished with 20 points and 17 rebounds, extending his franchise record for consecutive games with double digits in points and boards. The Cavs needed Allen to step up his game while Mobley was out with a knee injury, and the affable center has done that and more over the past month.
The Cavs went 14-4 without Mobley and point guard Darius Garland , who could be back from a broken jaw in a few days.
“It's a testament to our team,” Allen said. “It's a testament to (coach) J.B. (Bickerstaff) and the organization. We got guys who are willing to sacrifice.”
Kawhi Leonard scored 30 and Norman Powell 18 for the Clippers, who got within four in the final two minutes but fell to 2-1 on a season-long seven-game road trip.
Paul George , who has been slowed by a sore groin, scored 13 on 3 of 11 shooting for Los Angeles before fouling out with 3:07 left. James Harden finished with 11 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds.
“It was a great team win for them,” Leonard said. "Starting with Donovan, they did a great job all night. We’ve just got to keep shooting with confidence because we know the shots are going to start going in. We are getting the looks we want — open looks — so we’ll keep taking them.”
Cleveland's Caris LeVert , who has developed a knack for hitting buzzer beaters at home, dropped a step-back jumper before the horn — it was initially ruled a 3 — to give the Cavs an 88-81 lead entering the fourth.
The Cavs pushed their lead to 12 before the Clippers fought back and got within 112-108 on Amir Coffey 's jumper. However, Coffey missed a free throw that would have pulled L.A. even closer and Mitchell dropped an 18-foot jumper with 1:09 remaining.
Cleveland is finally closer to being healthy.
Mobley played for the first time since undergoing left knee surgery on Dec. 18. He finished with 10 points and nine rebounds in 21 minutes. The Cavs plan to initially limit his time until he works back into game shape.
Mobley made it back in just six weeks — the team had estimated eight — and credited a positive mindset for his quick recovery.
“I looked at it as an opportunity and just wanted to get back for the guys,” he said. “I want to do what I can do fit in.”
Mobley's return is expected to be quickly followed by Garland coming back after missing 19 games with a broken jaw. The point guard will likely play Wednesday night.
Mobley had some strong moments and a few in which he showed rust from his layoff. In the second quarter, he grabbed a rebound, dribbled the length of the floor and knifed through the Clippers' defense before dunking — his first points since Dec. 6.
“It's good to have Evan back,” Allen said. “He stayed locked in, and now that he's back he's looking like his old self again.”