Game ID: 22400325
Denver Nuggets @ Cleveland Cavaliers
Thursday, December 5, 2024 at 7:00 PM ET
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, OH
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
CLE 37 29 36 24 126DEN 27 35 25 27 114
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 11/27 · 2 days' restOUT LeVert missed 3 since 11/19, out tonight
OUT Wade missed 3 since 11/19, out tonight
BACK Merrill back 11/19 after 3, 19 min since (98% of 20)
BACK Okoro back 11/24 after 2, 29 min since (155% of 18)
NEW Jerome 20 to 26 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 11/29 · 1 day's restOUT LeVert missed 4 since 11/19, returns tonight: 20 min (85% of 24)
OUT Wade missed 4 since 11/19, out tonight
BACK Merrill back 11/19 after 3, 19 min since (94% of 20)
BACK Okoro back 11/24 after 2, 26 min since (139% of 18)
NEW Jerome 20 to 27 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 12/01 · 1 day's restOUT Wade missed 5 since 11/19, out tonight
BACK LeVert back 11/29 after 4, 20 min since (85% of 24)
BACK Merrill back 11/19 after 3, 19 min since (96% of 20)
BACK Okoro back 11/24 after 2, 23 min since (126% of 18)
CLE availability going into 12/03 · 1 day's restOUT Wade missed 6 since 11/19, returns tonight: 19 min (91% of 20)
BACK LeVert back 11/29 after 4, 22 min since (92% of 24)
BACK Okoro back 11/24 after 2, 23 min since (127% of 18)
CLE availability going into 12/05 · 1 day's restBACK LeVert back 11/29 after 4, 23 min since (95% of 24)
BACK Wade back 12/03 after 6, 19 min since (91% of 20)
BACK Okoro back 11/24 after 2, 25 min since (134% of 18)
CLE availability going into 12/07 · 1 day's restBACK LeVert back 11/29 after 4, 24 min since (100% of 24)
BACK Wade back 12/03 after 6, 19 min since (91% of 20)
CLE availability going into 12/08 · back-to-backBACK LeVert back 11/29 after 4, 24 min since (100% of 24)
BACK Wade back 12/03 after 6, 20 min since (100% of 20)
CLE availability going into 12/13 · 4 days' restOUT Okoro missed 2 since 12/07, returns tonight: 25 min (134% of 18)
BACK Wade back 12/03 after 6, 23 min since (110% of 20)
CLE availability going into 12/16 · 2 days' restBACK Wade back 12/03 after 6, 22 min since (107% of 20)
BACK Okoro back 12/13 after 2, 25 min since (134% of 18)
DEN availability going into 11/25 · 1 day's restOUT Gordon missed 8 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Pickett missed 9 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Jokić back 11/22 after 3, 38 min since (102% of 37)
BACK Šarić back 11/15 after 5, 18 min since (141% of 13)
BACK Jordan back 11/17 after 4, 8 min since (68% of 12)
NEW Watson 23 to 31 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 11/27 · 1 day's restOUT Gordon missed 9 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Pickett missed 10 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Jokić back 11/22 after 3, 36 min since (96% of 37)
BACK Jordan back 11/17 after 4, 9 min since (79% of 12)
NEW Watson 23 to 30 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 12/01 · 3 days' restOUT Gordon missed 10 since 11/06, returns tonight: 24 min (79% of 30)
OUT Šarić missed 2 since 11/25, out tonight
OUT Pickett missed 11 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Jokić back 11/22 after 3, 35 min since (95% of 37)
NEW Watson 23 to 30 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 12/03 · 1 day's restOUT Šarić missed 3 since 11/25, out tonight
OUT Pickett missed 12 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Jokić back 11/22 after 3, 36 min since (97% of 37)
BACK Gordon back 12/01 after 10, 24 min since (79% of 30)
NEW Watson 23 to 31 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 12/05 · 1 day's restOUT Šarić missed 4 since 11/25, out tonight
OUT Pickett missed 13 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Jordan missed 2 since 12/01, out tonight
BACK Gordon back 12/01 after 10, 28 min since (94% of 30)
DEN availability going into 12/07 · 1 day's restOUT Šarić missed 5 since 11/25, out tonight
OUT Pickett missed 14 since 11/04, returns tonight: 16 min (124% of 13)
OUT Jordan missed 3 since 12/01, returns tonight: 9 min (81% of 12)
BACK Gordon back 12/01 after 10, 30 min since (100% of 30)
DEN availability going into 12/08 · back-to-backOUT Šarić missed 6 since 11/25, out tonight
BACK Gordon back 12/01 after 10, 30 min since (100% of 30)
BACK Pickett back 12/07 after 14, 16 min since (124% of 13)
BACK Jordan back 12/07 after 3, 9 min since (81% of 12)
DEN availability going into 12/13 · 4 days' restOUT Murray missed 2 since 12/07, returns tonight: 32 min (85% of 37)
OUT Šarić missed 7 since 11/25, out tonight
BACK Gordon back 12/01 after 10, 28 min since (94% of 30)
BACK Pickett back 12/07 after 14, 17 min since (130% of 13)
BACK Jordan back 12/07 after 3, 10 min since (84% of 12)
DEN availability going into 12/16 · 2 days' restOUT Šarić missed 8 since 11/25, out tonight
BACK Murray back 12/13 after 2, 32 min since (85% of 37)
BACK Pickett back 12/07 after 14, 12 min since (98% of 13)
BACK Jordan back 12/07 after 3, 11 min since (98% of 12)
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 116 a night and allowing 112, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Mitchell at 24 and Garland at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest. Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 118, shooting 54 percent and 40 from three, 25 free throws a game; Jokić at 30 and Porter Jr. at 20 a game. One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the arc, Denver at 40 percent from three to Cleveland's 36 and the defense, Cleveland allowing 112 a night to Denver's 118. Call it Cleveland 119, Denver 115, Denver keeping it close.
11/27 vs ATL 124-135 — CLE notes
CLE lost 124-135. CLE shot 46% (44 of 95) to ATL's 47%, 15 of 48 from three. Mitchell led with 30 (10 of 24, 4 of 14 from three, 6 of 8 at the line); Mobley added 22, Garland 19. Q2 was theirs, 29-26, but the other 3 periods went 109-95 against them. They led by as many as 19. Jerome's -17 in 24 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/29 @ ATL 101-117 — CLE notes
CLE lost 101-117. CLE took 8 more shots (93 to 85), fed by 11 offensive rebounds, but shot 41% to ATL's 52%, 11 of 38 from three. CLE turned it over 13 times to ATL's 18. The glass went 40-53 against them. Garland led with 29 (11 of 19, 5 of 8 from three); Mobley added 24, Mitchell 12. Q4 was theirs, 28-26, the deficit cut from 18 to 16, but the other 3 periods went 91-73 against them. Mitchell's -13 in 35 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/01 vs BOS 115-111 — CLE notes
CLE won 115-111. CLE shot 49% (39 of 80) to BOS's 40%, 17 of 36 from three, and went to the line 25 times to BOS's 19 — 20 points from the stripe to their 18. CLE turned it over 17 times to BOS's 8, and BOS turned those into 11 steals. Mitchell led with 35 (12 of 21, 6 of 11 from three, 5 of 8 at the line); Garland added 22, LeVert 13. The hinge was Q4, 43-27: CLE came in trailing by 12 and left it ahead by 4. Merrill was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
12/03 vs WAS 118-87 — CLE notes
CLE won 118-87. CLE shot 48% (43 of 89) to WAS's 39%, 16 of 46 from three. CLE turned it over 11 times to WAS's 20. Mobley led with 19 (6 of 12, 6 of 8 at the line); Mitchell added 19, Niang 14. The hinge was Q1, 35-20: from level to 15 ahead, and the lead reached 31. Mitchell was the night's best plus/minus at +27.
12/05 vs DEN 126-114 — CLE notes
CLE won 126-114. CLE shot 50% (47 of 94) to DEN's 48%, 22 of 48 from three, and got to the line 16 times to DEN's 22. Mitchell led with 28 (11 of 24, 6 of 10 from three); Garland added 24, LeVert 21. The hinge was Q3, 36-25: a lead of 4 became 15, and the lead reached 18. Mitchell was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
12/07 @ CHA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Charlotte comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 100 a night and allowing 108, shooting 41 percent and 36 from three, 16 free throws a game; Miller at 27 and Richards at 13 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Ball (4 straight), Bridges (8 straight), Gra. Williams (6 straight). One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 113, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 22 free throws a game; Mitchell at 25 and Garland at 21 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Charlotte has been plus-1 a night and Cleveland minus-6 and the line, where Cleveland takes 22 free throws a game to Charlotte's 16. Call it Cleveland 114, Charlotte 109.
12/08 @ MIA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Miami comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 108, shooting 47 percent and 39 from three, 20 free throws a game; Herro at 24 and Butler III at 21 a game. Without Jović (7 straight), Ware (5 straight), Richardson (8 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 106, shooting 48 percent and 39 from three, 21 free throws a game; Mobley at 23 and Mitchell at 22 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Miami wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Miami 113, Cleveland 112, Cleveland keeping it close.
12/13 vs WAS — 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 107, shooting 49 percent and 41 from three, 22 free throws a game; Mitchell at 22 and Garland at 20 a game. Without Okoro (2 straight). 4 days' rest. Washington comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 126, shooting 43 percent and 28 from three, 22 free throws a game; Poole at 21 and Brogdon at 17 a game. Without Kuzma (5 straight), Sarr (2 straight), George (3 straight). 4 days' rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the arc, Cleveland at 41 percent from three to Washington's 28 and the defense, Cleveland allowing 107 a night to Washington's 126. Call it Cleveland 124, Washington 107, Cleveland by 17.
12/16 @ BKN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Brooklyn comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 114, shooting 43 percent and 36 from three, 21 free throws a game; C. Johnson at 22 and Schröder at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Thomas (7 straight), Williams (4 straight), Martin (3 straight). 2 days' rest. Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 106, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 25 free throws a game; Mobley at 21 and Garland at 20 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: Cleveland wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been minus-1 a night and Brooklyn minus-7 and the defense, Cleveland allowing 106 a night to Brooklyn's 114. Call it Cleveland 116, Brooklyn 109.
11/25 vs NYK 118-145 — DEN notes
DEN lost 118-145. DEN shot 45% (41 of 92) to NYK's 61%, 11 of 33 from three, and went to the line 27 times to NYK's 16 — 25 points from the stripe to their 14. The glass went 33-43 against them. Westbrook led with 27 (9 of 16, 4 of 7 from three); Jokić added 22, Murray 20. Q4 was theirs, 31-32, but the other 3 periods went 113-87 against them. Jokić's -20 in 32 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/27 @ UTA 122-103 — DEN notes
DEN won 122-103. DEN shot 55% (46 of 84) to UTA's 42%, 11 of 33 from three. DEN turned it over 10 times to UTA's 18. Jokić led with 30 (13 of 19, 2 of 3 from three); Murray added 22, Porter Jr. 19. The hinge was Q3, 37-23: a lead of 10 became 24. Jokić was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
12/01 @ LAC 122-126 — DEN notes
DEN lost 122-126. DEN shot 58% (51 of 88) to LAC's 48%, 10 of 24 from three, and got to the line 19 times to LAC's 27. Jokić led with 28 (12 of 24, 2 of 7 from three); Murray added 18, Porter Jr. 18. Q2 was theirs, 36-27, the deficit cut from 9 to 0, but the other 3 periods went 99-86 against them. They led by as many as 10.
12/03 vs GSW 119-115 — DEN notes
DEN won 119-115. DEN shot 51% (40 of 79) to GSW's 46%, 11 of 24 from three, and went to the line 35 times to GSW's 21 — 28 points from the stripe to their 15. The glass went 38-48 against them. Jokić led with 38 (14 of 24, 3 of 4 from three, 7 of 9 at the line); Porter Jr. added 22, Gordon 15. The hinge was Q3, 33-28: from level to 5 ahead. Jokić was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
12/05 @ CLE 114-126 — DEN notes
DEN lost 114-126. DEN shot 48% (46 of 96) to CLE's 50%, 6 of 24 from three, and went to the line 22 times to CLE's 16 — 16 points from the stripe to their 10. Jokić led with 27 (13 of 26, 0 of 3 from three); Porter Jr. added 24, Murray 19. Q2 was theirs, 35-29, the deficit cut from 10 to 4, but the other 3 periods went 97-79 against them. Westbrook's -15 in 16 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/07 @ WAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Washington comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 101 a night and allowing 125, shooting 42 percent and 26 from three, 23 free throws a game; Brogdon at 17 and Poole at 16 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Kuzma (3 straight). One day's rest. Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 123, shooting 51 percent and 36 from three, 25 free throws a game; Jokić at 29 and Porter Jr. at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Denver at 36 percent from three to Washington's 26. Call it Denver 120, Washington 113.
12/08 @ ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Atlanta comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 111, shooting 49 percent and 34 from three, 22 free throws a game; Hunter at 22 and Young at 19 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 10 a night. Without Nance Jr. (10 straight), Mathews (3 straight), Wallace (10 straight). One day's rest. Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 118, shooting 52 percent and 33 from three, 25 free throws a game; Jokić at 36 and Porter Jr. at 19 a game. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Atlanta wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Atlanta has been plus-10 a night and Denver minus-3 and the defense, Atlanta allowing 111 a night to Denver's 118. Call it Atlanta 120, Denver 115.
12/13 vs LAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 120, shooting 53 percent and 35 from three, 25 free throws a game; Jokić at 39 and Porter Jr. at 20 a game. Without Murray (2 straight). 4 days' rest. The Clippers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 109, shooting 45 percent and 38 from three, 17 free throws a game; Powell at 25 and Harden at 22 a game. They have lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Mann (2 straight). 4 days' rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the defense, the Clippers allowing 109 a night to Denver's 120 and the line, where Denver takes 25 free throws a game to the Clippers' 17. Call it Denver 115, the Clippers 112, the Clippers keeping it close.
12/16 @ SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 109, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 22 free throws a game; Sabonis at 23 and DeRozan at 22 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Lyles (8 straight). 3 days' rest. Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 114, shooting 53 percent and 34 from three, 28 free throws a game; Jokić at 37 and Porter Jr. at 20 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: Sacramento wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Denver giving it away 17 times a game to Sacramento's 11 and the arc, Sacramento at 40 percent from three to Denver's 34. Call it Sacramento 119, Denver 114.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
DENAG A. Gordon
CB C. Braun
JM J. Murray
JS J. Strawther
MP M. Porter Jr.
NJ N. Jokić
PW P. Watson
RW R. Westbrook
ZN Z. Nnaji
CLECL C. LeVert
DG D. Garland
DM D. Mitchell
DW D. Wade
EM E. Mobley
GN G. Niang
IO I. Okoro
JA J. Allen
SM S. Merrill
TJ T. Jerome
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
Donovan Mitchell scores 28 as Cavaliers improve to 13-1 at home by beating Jokic and Nuggets 126-114
CLEVELAND -- — Donovan Mitchell scored 28 points, Darius Garland added 24 and the Cleveland Cavaliers improved to 13-1 at home with a 126-114 victory Thursday night over the Denver Nuggets , who wasted a triple-double by Nikola Jokic .
The Cavs made a season-high 22 3-pointers and extended their streak of making at least 10 3s to a club record 28 games dating to last season.
Cleveland outscored Denver 66-18 from behind the arc.
Jokic had 27 points, 20 rebounds and 11 assists, giving him his 139th career triple-double — one more than Hall of Famer Magic Johnson. Jokic only trails Oscar Robertson (181) and teammate Russell Westbrook (200) on the career list.
Caris LeVert added 21 points off the bench, Evan Mobley scored 20 and Jarrett Allen had 15 rebounds for Cleveland, which improved to 5-0 against Western Conference teams.
Michael Porter Jr . scored 24 and Jamal Murray 19 for the Nuggets.
Takeaways Nuggets: Didn't do nearly enough on the defensive perimeter to slow down the Cavs, who had nine 3-pointers in the first quarter while opening a 12-point lead.
Cavaliers: Displayed their offensive versatility with a strong deep shooting game and inside muscle to offset the fabulous Jokic.
Key moment The Nuggets were still within nine in the final three minutes before Mitchell and LeVert drained consecutive back-breaking 3s. ... Also, a fan won $10,000 for making a halfcourt shot between the third and fourth quarters.
Key stat Now in his 10th season, Jokic is averaging a career-high 37.6 minutes per game. Coach Michael Malone acknowledged the challenge in trying to win games while also resting the three-time league MVP. “We've all got to make sure we don't run him into the ground,” Malone said.
Up Next The Nuggets visit the two-win Wizards on Saturday. The Cavaliers have back-to-back weekend games against Charlotte and Miami.