Game ID: 22401051
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Portland Trail Blazers
Tuesday, March 25, 2025 at 10:00 PM ET
Moda Center, Portland, OR
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
POR 33 19 34 25 111CLE 33 27 32 30 122
CLE @ POR ScoutingCLE @ POR 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.
POR availability going into 3/17 · back-to-backOUT Grant missed 3 since 3/10, out tonight
OUT Ayton missed 14 since 2/12, out tonight
OUT Williams III missed 12 since 2/22, out tonight
OUT Cissoko missed 4 since 3/09, out tonight
BACK Avdija back 3/10 after 2, 38 min since (128% of 30)
BACK Thybulle back 3/16 after 67, 6 min since (30% of 21)
BACK Murray back 3/12 after 2, 16 min since (107% of 15)
NEW Clingan 20 to 28 min over the last 5
NEW Reath 10 to 19 min over the last 5
POR availability going into 3/19 · 1 day's restOUT Grant missed 4 since 3/10, out tonight
OUT Ayton missed 15 since 2/12, out tonight
OUT Williams III missed 13 since 2/22, not on tonight's roster
OUT Walker missed 2 since 3/16, out tonight
OUT Cissoko missed 5 since 3/09, out tonight
BACK Avdija back 3/10 after 2, 36 min since (119% of 30)
BACK Thybulle back 3/16 after 67, 14 min since (68% of 21)
BACK Murray back 3/12 after 2, 23 min since (153% of 15)
NEW Henderson 27 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Clingan 20 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Reath 10 to 20 min over the last 5
POR availability going into 3/21 · 1 day's restOUT Grant missed 5 since 3/10, out tonight
OUT Ayton missed 16 since 2/12, out tonight
OUT Walker missed 3 since 3/16, out tonight
OUT Cissoko missed 6 since 3/09, out tonight
BACK Avdija back 3/10 after 2, 36 min since (121% of 30)
BACK Thybulle back 3/16 after 67, 13 min since (63% of 21)
BACK Murray back 3/12 after 2, 22 min since (145% of 15)
NEW Clingan 20 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Reath 10 to 19 min over the last 5
POR availability going into 3/23 · 1 day's restOUT Grant missed 6 since 3/10, out tonight
OUT Ayton missed 17 since 2/12, out tonight
OUT Walker missed 4 since 3/16, returns tonight: 5 min (37% of 12)
OUT Cissoko missed 7 since 3/09, out tonight
BACK Thybulle back 3/16 after 67, 14 min since (68% of 21)
BACK Murray back 3/12 after 2, 22 min since (144% of 15)
NEW Avdija 30 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Clingan 20 to 29 min over the last 4
NEW Reath 10 to 22 min over the last 5
POR availability going into 3/25 · 1 day's restOUT Grant missed 7 since 3/10, out tonight
OUT Ayton missed 18 since 2/12, out tonight
OUT Cissoko missed 8 since 3/09, out tonight
BACK Thybulle back 3/16 after 67, 15 min since (73% of 21)
BACK Walker back 3/23 after 4, 5 min since (37% of 12)
NEW Avdija 30 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Clingan 20 to 25 min over the last 4
NEW Reath 10 to 22 min over the last 5
POR availability going into 3/27 · 1 day's restOUT Grant missed 8 since 3/10, out tonight
OUT Ayton missed 19 since 2/12, out tonight
OUT Cissoko missed 9 since 3/09, out tonight
BACK Walker back 3/23 after 4, 5 min since (37% of 12)
NEW Avdija 30 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Clingan 20 to 26 min over the last 4
NEW Murray 15 to 20 min over the last 4
NEW Reath 10 to 21 min over the last 5
POR availability going into 3/30 · 2 days' restOUT Grant missed 9 since 3/10, out tonight
OUT Ayton missed 20 since 2/12, out tonight
OUT Cissoko missed 10 since 3/09, out tonight
BACK Walker back 3/23 after 4, 3 min since (26% of 12)
NEW Avdija 30 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Reath 10 to 22 min over the last 5
POR availability going into 4/01 · 1 day's restOUT Grant missed 10 since 3/10, out tonight
OUT Ayton missed 21 since 2/12, out tonight
OUT Cissoko missed 11 since 3/09, out tonight
BACK Walker back 3/23 after 4, 3 min since (21% of 12)
NEW Sharpe 31 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Avdija 30 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Clingan 20 to 25 min over the last 4
NEW Reath 10 to 21 min over the last 5
POR availability going into 4/03 · 1 day's restOUT Grant missed 11 since 3/10, out tonight
OUT Ayton missed 22 since 2/12, out tonight
OUT Henderson missed 2 since 3/30, out tonight
OUT Cissoko missed 12 since 3/09, out tonight
BACK Walker back 3/23 after 4, 6 min since (45% of 12)
NEW Sharpe 31 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Avdija 30 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Clingan 20 to 26 min over the last 5
NEW Reath 10 to 17 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 3/18 · 1 day's restOUT Tomlin missed 9 since 2/28, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 3/16 after 2, 34 min since (109% of 32)
CLE availability going into 3/19 · back-to-backOUT Tomlin missed 10 since 2/28, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 3/16 after 2, 34 min since (107% of 32)
CLE availability going into 3/21 · 1 day's restOUT Tomlin missed 11 since 2/28, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 3/16 after 2, 34 min since (107% of 32)
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)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Portland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 107, shooting 45 percent and 38 from three, 20 free throws a game; Avdija at 24 and Simons at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. Without Grant (7 straight), Ayton (18 straight). One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 115, shooting 47 percent and 31 from three, 22 free throws a game; Mobley at 19 and Mitchell at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest.
So: Portland wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Portland has been plus-7 a night and Cleveland minus-5 and the turnovers, Portland giving it away 15 times a game to Cleveland's 10. Call it Portland 115, Cleveland 113, Cleveland keeping it close.
3/17 vs WAS 112-97 — POR notes
POR won 112-97. POR shot 42% (42 of 99) to WAS's 41%, 15 of 46 from three, and went to the line 19 times to WAS's 12 — 13 points from the stripe to their 9. POR turned it over 8 times to WAS's 16. Simons led with 30 (10 of 17, 5 of 11 from three); Sharpe added 16, Avdija 15. The hinge was Q3, 30-21: a lead of 10 became 19, and the lead reached 24. Simons was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
3/19 vs MEM 115-99 — POR notes
POR won 115-99. POR shot 42% (40 of 96) to MEM's 40%, 18 of 46 from three. POR turned it over 17 times to MEM's 10, and MEM turned those into 11 steals. The glass went 65-40 for them. Avdija led with 31 (9 of 18, 5 of 8 from three, 8 of 9 at the line); Simons added 22, Sharpe 17. The hinge was Q1, 38-29: from level to 9 ahead, and the lead reached 21. Avdija was the night's best plus/minus at +27.
3/21 vs DEN 128-109 — POR notes
POR won 128-109. POR shot 54% (47 of 87) to DEN's 50%, 14 of 35 from three. Avdija led with 36 (12 of 16, 4 of 6 from three, 8 of 9 at the line); Sharpe added 23, Banton 19. The hinge was Q4, 40-27: a lead of 6 became 19, and the lead reached 23. POR trailed 54-59 at the half and won the second half 74-50. Avdija was the night's best plus/minus at +27.
3/23 vs BOS 116-129 — POR notes
POR lost 116-129. POR shot 49% (43 of 88) to BOS's 55%, 19 of 47 from three. Sharpe led with 23 (9 of 16, 3 of 9 from three); Camara added 19, Avdija 17. Q3 was theirs, 39-38, the deficit cut from 13 to 12, but the other 3 periods went 91-77 against them. Camara's -14 in 36 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/25 vs CLE 111-122 — POR notes
POR lost 111-122. POR took 12 more shots (100 to 88), fed by 19 offensive rebounds, but shot 40% to CLE's 55%, 17 of 52 from three. Sharpe led with 18 (8 of 20, 1 of 5 from three); Clingan added 18, Henderson 18. Q3 was theirs, 34-32, the deficit cut from 8 to 6, but the other 3 periods went 90-77 against them. Sharpe's -10 in 40 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/27 @ SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 119, shooting 46 percent and 39 from three, 17 free throws a game; DeRozan at 20 and Murray at 15 a game. That is 4 straight losses. Without Monk (3 straight). One day's rest. Portland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 111, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 21 free throws a game; Avdija at 23 and Sharpe at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. Without Grant (8 straight), Ayton (19 straight). One day's rest.
So: Sacramento wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Portland has been plus-7 a night and Sacramento minus-3 and the defense, Portland allowing 111 a night to Sacramento's 119. Call it Sacramento 115, Portland 114, Portland keeping it close.
3/30 @ NYK — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 113, shooting 49 percent and 35 from three, 21 free throws a game; Anunoby at 28 and Towns at 26 a game. Without Brunson (11 straight), McBride (4 straight), Tucker (5 straight). One day's rest. Portland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 117, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; Avdija at 25 and Sharpe at 21 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Grant (9 straight), Ayton (20 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Portland has been plus-4 a night and New York plus-0. Call it New York 117, Portland 112.
4/01 @ ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Atlanta comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 120, shooting 51 percent and 39 from three, 20 free throws a game; Young at 24 and Risacher at 19 a game. Without Johnson (30 straight), Capela (9 straight), Mathews (2 straight). One day's rest. Portland comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 120, shooting 45 percent and 34 from three, 21 free throws a game; Avdija at 25 and Sharpe at 22 a game. That is 4 straight losses. Without Grant (10 straight), Ayton (21 straight). One day's rest.
So: Atlanta wins, and the game turns on the arc, Atlanta at 39 percent from three to Portland's 34. Call it Atlanta 121, Portland 114.
4/03 @ TOR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Toronto comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 107, shooting 44 percent and 36 from three, 19 free throws a game; Poeltl at 19 and Quickley at 19 a game. Without Castleton (4 straight), Boucher (17 straight). One day's rest. Portland comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 120, shooting 44 percent and 33 from three, 21 free throws a game; Avdija at 25 and Sharpe at 24 a game. Without Grant (11 straight), Ayton (22 straight), Henderson (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Toronto wins, and the game turns on the defense, Toronto allowing 107 a night to Portland's 120. Call it Toronto 117, Portland 109.
3/18 @ LAC 119-132 — CLE notes
CLE lost 119-132. CLE shot 49% (44 of 90) to LAC's 55%, 14 of 41 from three. The glass went 29-49 against them. Strus led with 24 (8 of 12, 5 of 8 from three); Mitchell added 18, Garland 17. Q1 was theirs, 45-37, but the other 3 periods went 95-74 against them. They led by as many as 12. Mobley's -27 in 31 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/19 @ SAC 119-123 — CLE notes
CLE lost 119-123. CLE shot 55% (46 of 84) to SAC's 51%, 13 of 34 from three. Mobley led with 31 (13 of 18, 4 of 5 from three); Mitchell added 26, Jerome 14. Q1 was theirs, 22-15, but the other 3 periods went 108-97 against them. They led by as many as 13.
3/21 @ PHX 112-123 — CLE notes
CLE lost 112-123. CLE shot 45% (42 of 94) to PHX's 52%, 17 of 45 from three, and went to the line 14 times to PHX's 8 — 11 points from the stripe to their 8. Garland led with 18 (8 of 16, 2 of 5 from three); Hunter added 17, Mobley 16. Q4 was theirs, 33-25, the deficit cut from 19 to 11, but the other 3 periods went 98-79 against them. Wade's -14 in 16 minutes was the worst on the floor.
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 — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 116, shooting 50 percent and 34 from three, 21 free throws a game; Mobley at 19 and Garland at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest. San Antonio comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 112, shooting 47 percent and 39 from three, 21 free throws a game; Vassell at 20 and Castle at 19 a game. One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the glass, where San Antonio has been plus-2 a night and Cleveland minus-6 and the turnovers, San Antonio giving it away 14 times a game to Cleveland's 10. Call it Cleveland 119, San Antonio 113.
3/28 @ DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Detroit comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 109, shooting 52 percent and 41 from three, 26 free throws a game; Cunningham at 28 and Sasser at 17 a game. Without Cunningham (2 straight), Smith (11 straight), Harper Jr. (23 straight). 2 days' rest. Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 113, shooting 49 percent and 35 from three, 20 free throws a game; Mobley at 20 and Mitchell at 18 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Detroit wins, and the game turns on the arc, Detroit at 41 percent from three to Cleveland's 35 and the line, where Detroit takes 26 free throws a game to Cleveland's 20. Call it Detroit 118, Cleveland 114, Cleveland keeping it close.
3/30 vs LAC — 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.
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.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
PORAS A. Simons
DA D. Avdija
DB D. Banton
DC D. Clingan
DR D. Reath
MT M. Thybulle
SH S. Henderson
SS S. Sharpe
TC T. Camara
CLEDG D. Garland
DH D. Hunter
DW D. Wade
EM E. Mobley
IO I. Okoro
JA J. Allen
JG J. Green
MS M. Strus
SM S. Merrill
TJ T. Jerome
POR/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 27 points to lead Cavaliers over Trail Blazers 122-111
PORTLAND, Ore. -- — Darius Garland had 27 points and eight assists to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 122-111 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night.
Ty Jerome scored 25 points off the bench and Evan Mobley had 21 points and 12 rebounds in the win.
Portland’s Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe each had 18 points in the loss.
Cleveland (58-14) has a five-game lead over Boston for first place in the Eastern Conference with 10 games left to play.
Portland (32-41) is 3½ games behind Phoenix for 10th place in the Western Conference and the final spot in the play-in tournament.
The Cavaliers were without star guard Donovan Mitchell , who is managing a left groin injury.
Takeaways Cavaliers: Coach Kenny Atkinson isn’t overly concerned with the Cavs owning the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. His main goal is for his team to be healthy and hit their stride come playoff time. “If it’s the first seed, second seed, third seed, I don’t know. Maybe I should be putting more credence into that,” Atkinson said. “But I do think there have been cases where teams have really tried to bust it and you know, really go for a seed, and I’m not sure that’s the right approach either.”
Blazers: Toumani Camara has improved his 3-point shooting in his second season, jumping from 33.7% to 37.8% while taking nearly two more attempts per game. “Last year a lot of fives were guarding him and he took it very personal,” Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said. “That shot is legit and it’s real. We depend on that.”
Key moment Jerome scored 13 of his 25 points in the third quarter to help the Cavaliers maintain their distance.
Key stat Cleveland outscored the Blazers 64-42 in the paint.
Up next Cleveland hosts San Antonio on Thursday night. Portland visits Sacramento on Thursday night.