Game ID: 22401081
LA Clippers @ Cleveland Cavaliers
Sunday, March 30, 2025 at 3:30 PM ET
Rocket Arena, Cleveland, OH
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
CLE 37 31 37 22 127LAC 24 40 24 34 122
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 3/23 · 1 day's restOUT Tomlin missed 12 since 2/28, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 3/16 after 2, 33 min since (105% of 32)
CLE availability going into 3/25 · 1 day's restOUT Tomlin missed 13 since 2/28, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 3/16 after 2, 31 min since (97% of 32)
CLE availability going into 3/27 · 1 day's restOUT Tomlin missed 14 since 2/28, out tonight
CLE availability going into 3/28 · back-to-backOUT Tomlin missed 15 since 2/28, out tonight
CLE availability going into 3/30 · 1 day's restOUT Jerome missed 2 since 3/27, out tonight
OUT Tomlin missed 16 since 2/28, out tonight
CLE availability going into 4/02 · 2 days' restOUT Jerome missed 3 since 3/27, out tonight
OUT Tomlin missed 17 since 2/28, returns tonight: 2 min (17% of 13)
CLE availability going into 4/04 · 1 day's restOUT Jerome missed 4 since 3/27, out tonight
BACK Tomlin back 4/02 after 17, 2 min since (17% of 13)
CLE availability going into 4/06 · 1 day's restOUT Wade missed 2 since 4/02, returns tonight: 4 min (17% of 20)
OUT Jerome missed 5 since 3/27, returns tonight: 23 min (116% of 20)
BACK Tomlin back 4/02 after 17, 2 min since (17% of 13)
CLE availability going into 4/08 · 1 day's restOUT Tomlin missed 2 since 4/04, out tonight
BACK Wade back 4/06 after 2, 4 min since (17% of 20)
BACK Jerome back 4/06 after 5, 23 min since (116% of 20)
LAC availability going into 3/21 · 2 days' restOUT Miller missed 3 since 3/14, out tonight
BACK Powell back 3/16 after 7, 20 min since (61% of 33)
BACK Simmons back 3/14 after 7, 15 min since (103% of 15)
NEW Batum 18 to 23 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 3/23 · 1 day's restOUT Miller missed 4 since 3/14, out tonight
BACK Powell back 3/16 after 7, 22 min since (68% of 33)
BACK Simmons back 3/14 after 7, 15 min since (100% of 15)
LAC availability going into 3/26 · 2 days' restOUT Miller missed 5 since 3/14, out tonight
BACK Powell back 3/16 after 7, 25 min since (75% of 33)
BACK Simmons back 3/14 after 7, 15 min since (100% of 15)
LAC availability going into 3/28 · 1 day's restOUT Miller missed 6 since 3/14, out tonight
BACK Powell back 3/16 after 7, 26 min since (79% of 33)
LAC availability going into 3/30 · 1 day's restOUT Miller missed 7 since 3/14, out tonight
LAC availability going into 3/31 · back-to-backOUT Miller missed 8 since 3/14, out tonight
LAC availability going into 4/02 · 1 day's restOUT Miller missed 9 since 3/14, out tonight
LAC availability going into 4/04 · 1 day's restOUT Coffey missed 2 since 3/31, out tonight
OUT Miller missed 10 since 3/14, out tonight
LAC availability going into 4/05 · back-to-backOUT Coffey missed 3 since 3/31, out tonight
OUT Miller missed 11 since 3/14, returns tonight: 7 min (66% of 11)
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 120 a night and allowing 115, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 24 free throws a game; Mitchell at 22 and Jerome at 18 a game. Without Jerome (2 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 109, shooting 52 percent and 47 from three, 27 free throws a game; Leonard at 28 and Harden at 23 a game. They have won the glass by 8 a night. One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the arc, the Clippers at 47 percent from three to Cleveland's 35 and the glass, where the Clippers have been plus-8 a night and Cleveland minus-1. Call it Cleveland 116, the Clippers 115, the Clippers keeping it close.
3/23 @ UTA 120-91 — CLE notes
CLE won 120-91. CLE shot 46% (44 of 96) to UTA's 36%, 11 of 48 from three, and went to the line 31 times to UTA's 18 — 21 points from the stripe to their 11. CLE turned it over 6 times to UTA's 18. Allen led with 18 (8 of 11); Mitchell added 16, Hunter 15. The hinge was Q3, 37-19: a lead of 6 became 24, and the lead reached 32. Allen was the night's best plus/minus at +31.
3/25 @ POR 122-111 — CLE notes
CLE won 122-111. CLE shot 55% (48 of 88) to POR's 40%, 12 of 27 from three. Garland led with 27 (11 of 19, 1 of 3 from three); Jerome added 25, Mobley 21. The hinge was Q2, 27-19: from level to 8 ahead. Allen was the night's best plus/minus at +8.
3/27 vs SAS 124-116 — CLE notes
CLE won 124-116. CLE shot 46% (46 of 99) to SAS's 41%, 17 of 48 from three. Allen led with 29 (10 of 11, 9 of 11 at the line); Mitchell added 25, Strus 18. The hinge was Q1, 30-24: from level to 6 ahead, and the lead reached 16. Green was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
3/28 @ DET 122-133 — CLE notes
CLE lost 122-133. CLE shot 46% (39 of 84) to DET's 48%, 15 of 40 from three. Mitchell led with 38 (12 of 24, 3 of 8 from three, 11 of 13 at the line); Garland added 21, Hunter 11. Q4 was theirs, 39-32, the deficit cut from 18 to 11, but the other 3 periods went 101-83 against them. Mobley's -23 in 33 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/30 vs LAC 127-122 — CLE notes
CLE won 127-122. CLE shot 51% (47 of 93) to LAC's 48%, 15 of 45 from three. Allen led with 25 (11 of 12, 3 of 6 at the line); Mitchell added 24, Mobley 22. The hinge was Q1, 37-24: from level to 13 ahead, and the lead reached 18. Mobley was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
4/02 vs NYK — 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 123 a night and allowing 115, shooting 49 percent and 34 from three, 25 free throws a game; Mitchell at 26 and Allen at 19 a game. Without Jerome (3 straight). 2 days' rest. New York comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 106, shooting 51 percent and 38 from three, 19 free throws a game; Anunoby at 30 and Bridges at 21 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Brunson (13 straight), McBride (6 straight), Tucker (7 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the defense, New York allowing 106 a night to Cleveland's 115 and the line, where Cleveland takes 25 free throws a game to New York's 19. Call it Cleveland 118, New York 112.
4/04 @ SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 123, shooting 45 percent and 36 from three, 19 free throws a game; Castle at 17 and Johnson at 16 a game. It has lost the glass by 9 a night. One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 117, shooting 50 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Mitchell at 28 and Allen at 19 a game. Without Jerome (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-1 a night and San Antonio minus-9. Call it Cleveland 120, San Antonio 115.
4/06 vs SAC — 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 122 a night and allowing 118, shooting 49 percent and 37 from three, 21 free throws a game; Mitchell at 28 and Allen at 17 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Wade (2 straight), Jerome (5 straight). One day's rest. Sacramento comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 111, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 23 free throws a game; DeRozan at 25 and Sabonis at 21 a game. One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the defense, Sacramento allowing 111 a night to Cleveland's 118. Call it Cleveland 119, Sacramento 114.
4/08 vs CHI — 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 120 a night and allowing 119, shooting 50 percent and 35 from three, 22 free throws a game; Mitchell at 27 and Garland at 17 a game. One day's rest. Chicago comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 123, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 25 free throws a game; White at 26 and Vučević at 21 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 7 a night. Without Ball (18 straight), Smith (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Chicago has been plus-7 a night and Cleveland plus-1. Call it Cleveland 122, Chicago 117.
3/21 vs MEM 128-108 — LAC notes
LAC won 128-108. LAC shot 58% (45 of 78) to MEM's 42%, 17 of 34 from three, and went to the line 26 times to MEM's 13 — 21 points from the stripe to their 9. Harden led with 30 (8 of 14, 5 of 10 from three, 9 of 10 at the line); Leonard added 23, Zubac 17. The hinge was Q3, 36-16: LAC came in trailing by 6 and left it ahead by 14, and the lead reached 20. LAC trailed 60-66 at the half and won the second half 68-42. Harden was the night's best plus/minus at +24.
3/23 vs OKC 101-103 — LAC notes
LAC lost 101-103. LAC shot 43% (35 of 82) to OKC's 40%, 8 of 26 from three, and went to the line 28 times to OKC's 20 — 23 points from the stripe to their 17. LAC turned it over 14 times to OKC's 9, and OKC turned those into 9 steals. Leonard led with 25 (10 of 20, 2 of 4 from three); Harden added 17, Zubac 15. Q1 was theirs, 34-24, but the other 3 periods went 79-67 against them. They led by as many as 12. Jones Jr.'s -11 in 26 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/26 @ NYK 126-113 — LAC notes
LAC won 126-113. LAC shot 51% (45 of 88) to NYK's 50%, 16 of 30 from three. Harden led with 29 (8 of 16, 6 of 9 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Leonard added 27, Powell 19. The hinge was Q2, 34-22: the deficit went from 13 to 1, and the lead reached 19. LAC trailed 54-55 at the half and won the second half 72-58. Jones Jr. was the night's best plus/minus at +24.
3/28 @ BKN 132-100 — LAC notes
LAC won 132-100. LAC shot 55% (44 of 80) to BKN's 37%, 19 of 37 from three. Leonard led with 31 (10 of 14, 5 of 6 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Zubac added 21, Harden 17. The hinge was Q2, 42-21: LAC came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 20, and the lead reached 41. Harden was the night's best plus/minus at +34.
3/30 @ CLE 122-127 — LAC notes
LAC lost 122-127. LAC shot 48% (45 of 93) to CLE's 51%, 16 of 41 from three. Powell led with 34 (13 of 24, 5 of 11 from three, 3 of 6 at the line); Harden added 24, Bogdanović 16. Q4 was theirs, 34-22, the deficit cut from 17 to 5, but the other 3 periods went 105-88 against them. Harden's -17 in 35 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/31 @ 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 112 a night and allowing 101, shooting 47 percent and 35 from three, 21 free throws a game; Banchero at 30 and Wagner at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without Anthony (6 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 110, shooting 51 percent and 45 from three, 26 free throws a game; Leonard at 26 and Harden at 23 a game. They have won the glass by 4 a night. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Orlando wins, and the game turns on the arc, the Clippers at 45 percent from three to Orlando's 35 and the defense, Orlando allowing 101 a night to the Clippers' 110. Call it Orlando 111, the Clippers 108, the Clippers keeping it close.
4/02 vs NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 106, shooting 48 percent and 41 from three, 24 free throws a game; Leonard at 26 and Harden at 21 a game. They have won the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 115, shooting 48 percent and 39 from three, 19 free throws a game; Hawkins at 13 and Brown at 12 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the turnovers, New Orleans giving it away 18 times a game to the Clippers' 12 and the defense, the Clippers allowing 106 a night to New Orleans's 115. Call it the Clippers 117, New Orleans 106, the Clippers by 11.
4/04 vs DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 105, shooting 50 percent and 42 from three, 24 free throws a game; Leonard at 27 and Harden at 22 a game. Without Coffey (2 straight). One day's rest. Dallas comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 114, shooting 50 percent and 38 from three, 24 free throws a game; Davis at 20 and Williams at 16 a game. Without Exum (9 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the glass, where the Clippers have been plus-3 a night and Dallas minus-3 and the defense, the Clippers allowing 105 a night to Dallas's 114. Call it the Clippers 116, Dallas 109.
4/05 vs DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 101, shooting 50 percent and 41 from three, 22 free throws a game; Leonard at 25 and Harden at 19 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Coffey (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Dallas comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 111, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 24 free throws a game; Davis at 20 and Washington at 14 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Exum (10 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the glass, where the Clippers have been plus-4 a night and Dallas minus-4 and the defense, the Clippers allowing 101 a night to Dallas's 111. Call it the Clippers 115, Dallas 106.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
CLEDG D. Garland
DH D. Hunter
DM D. Mitchell
DW D. Wade
EM E. Mobley
IO I. Okoro
JA J. Allen
JG J. Green
MS M. Strus
SM S. Merrill
LACAC A. Coffey
BB B. Bogdanović
BS B. Simmons
DJ D. Jones Jr.
IZ I. Zubac
JH J. Harden
KD K. Dunn
NB N. Batum
NP N. Powell
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
Jarrett Allen, Donovan Mitchell propel Cavaliers to 127-122 victory over Clippers
CLEVELAND -- — Jarrett Allen scored 25 points, Donovan Mitchell added 24 and the Cleveland Cavaliers held off the Los Angeles Clippers 127-122 on Sunday afternoon.
Evan Mobley had 22 points as Cleveland reached 60 wins for the third time in franchise history, and the first since the 2009-10 season. The Cavaliers (60-15) moved 4 1/2 games ahead of Boston for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
Allen and Mitchell also had 12 rebounds, while Mitchell was three assists shy of a triple-double.
Norman Powell had 34 points for the Clippers, who were without Kawhi Leonard due to right knee injury management. James Harden added 24 points.
The Clippers trailed by 18 points early in the fourth quarter, but went on a 14-5 run during the final three minutes to get within 125-122 with 19 seconds remaining. Darius Garland sank a pair of free throws after being fouled by Nicolas Batum . A steal by Mitchell on the ensuing possession iced the game for Cleveland.
Takeaways Clippers: Amir Coffey left in the first half due to left knee soreness. He had one point in four minutes.
Cavaliers: Mitchell had his sixth double-double of the season, tied for his most in a single season in his eight-year NBA career. He also had six last season.
Key moment Mobley had 15 points in the third, including seven during a 16-2 run that helped the Cavaliers regain control after the Clippers got within 75-74 less than three minutes into the third.
Key stat Powell scored 24 points in the first half, the second-most in his nine-year NBA career. He had 25 in the first and second quarters for Portland in a 2021 game vs. Utah.
Up next The Clippers conclude their four-game road trip in Orlando on Monday while the Cavaliers host the New York Knicks on Wednesday.