Game ID: 22300714
Sacramento Kings @ Cleveland Cavaliers
Monday, February 5, 2024 at 7:00 PM ET
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, OH
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
CLE 39 35 32 30 136SAC 34 25 33 18 110
CLE vs SAC ScoutingCLE vs SAC 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 1/29 · 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)
CLE availability going into 2/07 · 1 day's restOUT Thompson missed 7 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK Garland back 1/31 after 19, 24 min since (71% of 34)
BACK Eva. Mobley back 1/29 after 22, 24 min since (75% of 32)
BACK Porter Jr. back 2/03 after 4, 2 min since (13% of 13)
CLE availability going into 2/08 · back-to-backOUT Thompson missed 8 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK Garland back 1/31 after 19, 25 min since (73% of 34)
BACK Porter Jr. back 2/03 after 4, 2 min since (13% of 13)
CLE availability going into 2/10 · 1 day's restOUT Thompson missed 9 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK Porter Jr. back 2/03 after 4, 2 min since (17% of 13)
CLE availability going into 2/12 · 1 day's restOUT Thompson missed 10 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK Porter Jr. back 2/03 after 4, 2 min since (17% of 13)
SAC availability going into 1/29 · 1 day's restOUT Ellis missed 3 since 1/22, out tonight
OUT Vezenkov missed 2 since 1/25, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 1/22 after 3, 16 min since (105% of 15)
BACK Duarte back 1/25 after 4, 3 min since (22% of 12)
NEW Huerter 24 to 31 min over the last 5
SAC availability going into 1/31 · 1 day's restOUT Ellis missed 4 since 1/22, out tonight
OUT Duarte missed 2 since 1/27, out tonight
OUT Vezenkov missed 3 since 1/25, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 1/22 after 3, 16 min since (105% of 15)
NEW Huerter 24 to 33 min over the last 5
SAC availability going into 2/02 · 1 day's restOUT Ellis missed 5 since 1/22, out tonight
OUT Duarte missed 3 since 1/27, out tonight
OUT Vezenkov missed 4 since 1/25, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 1/22 after 3, 15 min since (100% of 15)
NEW Barnes 29 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Huerter 24 to 33 min over the last 5
SAC availability going into 2/03 · back-to-backOUT Ellis missed 6 since 1/22, out tonight
OUT Duarte missed 4 since 1/27, out tonight
OUT Vezenkov missed 5 since 1/25, out tonight
NEW Barnes 29 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Huerter 24 to 34 min over the last 5
SAC availability going into 2/05 · 1 day's restOUT Ellis missed 7 since 1/22, returns tonight: 3 min (19% of 17)
OUT Duarte missed 5 since 1/27, returns tonight: 3 min (26% of 12)
OUT Vezenkov missed 6 since 1/25, out tonight
NEW Barnes 29 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Huerter 24 to 31 min over the last 5
SAC availability going into 2/07 · 1 day's restOUT Vezenkov missed 7 since 1/25, returns tonight: 6 min (45% of 12)
BACK Ellis back 2/05 after 7, 3 min since (19% of 17)
BACK Duarte back 2/05 after 5, 3 min since (26% of 12)
NEW Barnes 29 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Huerter 24 to 32 min over the last 5
SAC availability going into 2/09 · 1 day's restBACK Ellis back 2/05 after 7, 3 min since (19% of 17)
BACK Duarte back 2/05 after 5, 3 min since (26% of 12)
BACK Vezenkov back 2/07 after 7, 6 min since (45% of 12)
NEW Huerter 24 to 31 min over the last 5
SAC availability going into 2/11 · 1 day's restOUT Duarte missed 2 since 2/07, out tonight
BACK Ellis back 2/05 after 7, 4 min since (26% of 17)
BACK Vezenkov back 2/07 after 7, 11 min since (86% of 12)
SAC availability going into 2/13 · 1 day's restOUT Duarte missed 3 since 2/07, out tonight
BACK Ellis back 2/05 after 7, 9 min since (51% of 17)
BACK Vezenkov back 2/07 after 7, 11 min since (86% of 12)
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.
1/29 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 128-121 — CLE notes
CLE won 128-121. CLE shot 53% (47 of 89) to DET's 56%, 12 of 35 from three. CLE turned it over 9 times to DET's 17. Mitchell led with 45 (14 of 25, 6 of 13 from three, 11 of 12 at the line); Garland added 19, Allen 14. The hinge was Q1, 30-23: from level to 7 ahead. Mitchell was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
2/01 @ MEM 108-101 — CLE notes
CLE won 108-101. CLE shot 48% (41 of 86) to MEM's 41%, 14 of 35 from three. Mitchell led with 25 (10 of 19, 3 of 9 from three); LeVert added 16, Allen 14. The hinge was Q3, 30-22: CLE came in trailing by 7 and left it ahead by 1. CLE trailed 51-58 at the half and won the second half 57-43. Wade was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
2/03 @ SAS 117-101 — CLE notes
CLE won 117-101. CLE shot 47% (46 of 97) to SAS's 37%, 13 of 44 from three, and got to the line 13 times to SAS's 21. Mitchell led with 31 (12 of 20, 4 of 9 from three); Mobley added 28, Allen 26. The hinge was Q2, 37-20: a lead of 5 became 22, and the lead reached 26. Allen was the night's best plus/minus at +26.
2/05 vs SAC 136-110 — CLE notes
CLE won 136-110. CLE shot 58% (51 of 88) to SAC's 46%, 23 of 41 from three. Mitchell led with 29 (11 of 20, 5 of 11 from three); Strus added 22, Allen 19. The hinge was Q4, 30-18: a lead of 14 became 26, and the lead reached 29. Mitchell was the night's best plus/minus at +28.
2/07 @ 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 112 a night and allowing 118, shooting 47 percent and 29 from three, 20 free throws a game; Kuzma at 22 and Kispert at 15 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Bagley III (2 straight). 2 days' rest. Cleveland comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 108, shooting 51 percent and 38 from three, 19 free throws a game; Mitchell at 32 and Allen at 19 a game. That is 5 straight wins. One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Cleveland at 38 percent from three to Washington's 29 and the defense, Cleveland allowing 108 a night to Washington's 118. Call it Cleveland 119, Washington 112.
2/08 @ BKN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Brooklyn comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 120, shooting 47 percent and 39 from three, 18 free throws a game; Thomas at 25 and Bridges at 24 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Finney-Smith (5 straight), Sharpe (13 straight). One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 108, shooting 51 percent and 39 from three, 19 free throws a game; Mitchell at 34 and Eva. Mobley at 17 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Cleveland wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Cleveland allowing 108 a night to Brooklyn's 120 and the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-1 a night and Brooklyn minus-5. Call it Cleveland 116, Brooklyn 115, Brooklyn keeping it close.
2/10 @ TOR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Toronto comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 126, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 20 free throws a game; Barrett at 22 and Barnes at 19 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Freeman-Liberty (7 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Cleveland comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 103, shooting 51 percent and 40 from three, 17 free throws a game; Mitchell at 30 and Eva. Mobley at 19 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Cleveland allowing 103 a night to Toronto's 126 and the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-4 a night and Toronto minus-5. Call it Cleveland 119, Toronto 110.
2/12 vs PHI — 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 121 a night and allowing 101, shooting 52 percent and 39 from three, 16 free throws a game; Mitchell at 28 and Eva. Mobley at 18 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest. Philadelphia comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 124, shooting 44 percent and 31 from three, 23 free throws a game; Maxey at 20 and Oubre Jr. at 18 a game. Without Embiid (6 straight), Melton (15 straight), Batum (7 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the defense, Cleveland allowing 101 a night to Philadelphia's 124 and the arc, Cleveland at 39 percent from three to Philadelphia's 31. Call it Cleveland 120, Philadelphia 109, Cleveland by 11.
1/29 @ MEM 103-94 — SAC notes
SAC won 103-94. SAC shot 51% (43 of 84) to MEM's 38%, 11 of 38 from three, and got to the line 10 times to MEM's 28. SAC turned it over 19 times to MEM's 14, and MEM turned those into 11 steals. The glass went 51-37 for them. Fox led with 23 (8 of 14, 1 of 4 from three, 6 of 10 at the line); Sabonis added 20, Huerter 17. The hinge was Q2, 29-17: the deficit went from 15 to 3. SAC trailed 47-50 at the half and won the second half 56-44. Barnes was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
1/31 @ MIA 106-115 — SAC notes
SAC lost 106-115. SAC took 9 more shots (93 to 84), fed by 12 offensive rebounds, but shot 44% to MIA's 50%, 12 of 40 from three. Murray led with 33 (12 of 18, 7 of 11 from three); Sabonis added 19, Huerter 14. Q2 was theirs, 33-31, the deficit cut from 6 to 4, but the other 3 periods went 84-73 against them. Monk's -16 in 14 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/02 @ IND 133-122 — SAC notes
SAC won 133-122. SAC shot 57% (51 of 90) to IND's 54%, 13 of 34 from three. SAC turned it over 16 times to IND's 22. Sabonis led with 26 (9 of 14, 8 of 9 at the line); Fox added 25, Monk 23. The hinge was Q2, 33-25: SAC came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 7, and the lead reached 18. Murray was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
2/03 @ CHI 123-115 — SAC notes
SAC won 123-115. SAC shot 50% (42 of 84) to CHI's 46%, 15 of 39 from three, and went to the line 29 times to CHI's 22 — 24 points from the stripe to their 20. Fox led with 41 (13 of 24, 5 of 11 from three, 10 of 12 at the line); Monk added 22, Lyles 16. The hinge was Q2, 39-27: a lead of 7 became 19, and the lead reached 30. Murray was the night's best plus/minus at +13.
2/05 @ CLE 110-136 — SAC notes
SAC lost 110-136. SAC shot 46% (43 of 93) to CLE's 58%, 17 of 44 from three. Barnes led with 22 (8 of 15, 6 of 10 from three); Fox added 19, Monk 18. Q3 was theirs, 33-32, the deficit cut from 15 to 14, but the other 3 periods went 104-77 against them. Sabonis's -25 in 34 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/07 vs DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 116, shooting 50 percent and 35 from three, 19 free throws a game; Fox at 24 and Sabonis at 18 a game. One day's rest. Detroit comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 119, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 22 free throws a game; Bogdanović at 20 and Cunningham at 18 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Stewart (3 straight), Hayes (3 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Sacramento wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Sacramento 120, Detroit 114.
2/09 vs DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 124, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Fox at 22 and Sabonis at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest. Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 106, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 17 free throws a game; Jokić at 26 and Murray at 23 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Sacramento wins, and the game turns on the defense, Denver allowing 106 a night to Sacramento's 124 and the glass, where Denver has been plus-5 a night and Sacramento minus-7. Call it Sacramento 116, Denver 115, Denver keeping it close.
2/11 @ OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 121, shooting 47 percent and 42 from three, 20 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 28 and Holmgren at 18 a game. Second night of a back-to-back. Sacramento comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 122, shooting 52 percent and 39 from three, 22 free throws a game; Fox at 22 and Monk at 22 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it OKC 120, Sacramento 119, Sacramento keeping it close.
2/13 @ PHX — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 115, shooting 54 percent and 38 from three, 20 free throws a game; Durant at 27 and Booker at 26 a game. 2 days' rest. Sacramento comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 123, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 19 free throws a game; Monk at 22 and Fox at 20 a game. One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the defense, Phoenix allowing 115 a night to Sacramento's 123. Call it Phoenix 122, Sacramento 116.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
CLECL C. LeVert
DG D. Garland
DJ D. Jones
DM D. Mitchell
DW D. Wade
EM E. Mobley
GN G. Niang
IO I. Okoro
JA J. Allen
MS M. Strus
SM S. Merrill
SACCD C. Duarte
CJ C. Jones
DF D. Fox
DS D. Sabonis
HB H. Barnes
JM J. McGee
KE K. Edwards
KE K. Ellis
KH K. Huerter
KM K. Murray
LE Len
MM M. Monk
TL T. Lyles
CLE/SAC 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 29 as rolling Cavs improve to 14-1 in last 15 with 136-110 win over Kings
CLEVELAND -- — 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.”