Game ID: 22401009
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Sacramento Kings
Wednesday, March 19, 2025 at 10:00 PM ET
Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
SAC 15 32 43 33 123CLE 22 34 32 31 119
CLE @ SAC ScoutingCLE @ 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.
SAC availability going into 3/10 · back-to-backOUT Sabonis missed 4 since 3/03, out tonight
OUT Monk missed 3 since 3/05, returns tonight: 30 min (93% of 32)
OUT Crowder missed 23 since 1/16, out tonight
BACK Carter back 3/07 after 4, 13 min since (121% of 11)
NEW Ellis 24 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW LaRavia 19 to 25 min over the last 5
NEW Valančiūnas 17 to 31 min over the last 5
SAC availability going into 3/13 · 2 days' restOUT Sabonis missed 5 since 3/03, out tonight
OUT Crowder missed 24 since 1/16, out tonight
BACK Monk back 3/10 after 3, 30 min since (93% of 32)
BACK Carter back 3/07 after 4, 13 min since (119% of 11)
NEW Ellis 24 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW LaRavia 19 to 27 min over the last 4
NEW Valančiūnas 17 to 29 min over the last 5
SAC availability going into 3/14 · back-to-backOUT Sabonis missed 6 since 3/03, returns tonight: 30 min (87% of 35)
OUT Crowder missed 25 since 1/16, out tonight
BACK Monk back 3/10 after 3, 31 min since (98% of 32)
BACK Carter back 3/07 after 4, 12 min since (106% of 11)
NEW Ellis 24 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW LaRavia 19 to 26 min over the last 4
NEW Valančiūnas 17 to 27 min over the last 5
SAC availability going into 3/17 · 2 days' restOUT Crowder missed 26 since 1/16, out tonight
BACK Sabonis back 3/14 after 6, 30 min since (87% of 35)
BACK Monk back 3/10 after 3, 35 min since (110% of 32)
BACK Carter back 3/07 after 4, 11 min since (96% of 11)
NEW Valančiūnas 17 to 23 min over the last 5
SAC availability going into 3/19 · 1 day's restOUT Crowder missed 27 since 1/16, out tonight
BACK Sabonis back 3/14 after 6, 21 min since (61% of 35)
BACK Monk back 3/10 after 3, 35 min since (110% of 32)
SAC availability going into 3/20 · back-to-backOUT Crowder missed 28 since 1/16, out tonight
BACK Sabonis back 3/14 after 6, 21 min since (61% of 35)
BACK Monk back 3/10 after 3, 36 min since (113% of 32)
SAC availability going into 3/22 · 1 day's restOUT Sabonis missed 2 since 3/19, out tonight
OUT Crowder missed 29 since 1/16, out tonight
NEW Monk 32 to 37 min over the last 5
SAC availability going into 3/24 · 1 day's restOUT Sabonis missed 3 since 3/19, returns tonight: 32 min (93% of 35)
OUT Crowder missed 30 since 1/16, out tonight
NEW Monk 32 to 38 min over the last 4
SAC availability going into 3/25 · back-to-backOUT Monk missed 2 since 3/22, out tonight
OUT Crowder missed 31 since 1/16, out tonight
BACK Sabonis back 3/24 after 3, 32 min since (93% of 35)
NEW Carter 11 to 18 min over the last 4
CLE availability going into 3/11 · 1 day's restOUT Tomlin missed 6 since 2/28, out tonight
CLE availability going into 3/14 · 2 days' restOUT Tomlin missed 7 since 2/28, out tonight
CLE availability going into 3/16 · 1 day's restOUT Mitchell missed 2 since 3/11, returns tonight: 34 min (109% of 32)
OUT Tomlin missed 8 since 2/28, out tonight
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
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 111 a night and allowing 124, shooting 47 percent and 34 from three, 25 free throws a game; DeRozan at 22 and LaVine at 21 a game. One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 114, shooting 46 percent and 33 from three, 25 free throws a game; Garland at 20 and Mitchell at 19 a game. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Cleveland wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Cleveland allowing 114 a night to Sacramento's 124. Call it Cleveland 118, Sacramento 115, Sacramento keeping it close.
3/10 vs NYK 104-133 — SAC notes
SAC lost 104-133. SAC shot 42% (36 of 86) to NYK's 54%, 10 of 34 from three. Monk led with 21 (7 of 18, 3 of 8 from three, 4 of 6 at the line); LaVine added 17, I. Jones 12. Q2 was theirs, 29-29, but the other 3 periods went 104-75 against them. LaVine's -31 in 36 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/13 @ GSW 104-130 — SAC notes
SAC lost 104-130. SAC shot 47% (37 of 79) to GSW's 58%, 14 of 37 from three. The glass went 30-43 against them. DeRozan led with 23 (8 of 13, 7 of 8 at the line); Ellis added 18, LaVine 14. Q2 was theirs, 33-31, the deficit cut from 12 to 10, but the other 3 periods went 99-71 against them. LaVine's -34 in 32 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/14 @ PHX 106-122 — SAC notes
SAC lost 106-122. SAC shot 49% (40 of 81) to PHX's 52%, 8 of 32 from three. SAC turned it over 19 times to PHX's 11, and PHX turned those into 12 steals. DeRozan led with 23 (9 of 13, 3 of 5 from three); LaVine added 21, Monk 18. Q2 was theirs, 35-26, the deficit cut from 14 to 5, but the other 3 periods went 96-71 against them. LaVine's -21 in 36 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/17 vs MEM 132-122 — SAC notes
SAC won 132-122. SAC shot 52% (46 of 88) to MEM's 49%, 20 of 41 from three, and went to the line 30 times to MEM's 21 — 20 points from the stripe to their 21. SAC turned it over 12 times to MEM's 17. The glass went 38-48 against them. Monk led with 28 (10 of 17, 4 of 8 from three); LaVine added 23, DeRozan 22. The hinge was Q1, 37-26: from level to 11 ahead, and the lead reached 21. Ellis was the night's best plus/minus at +13.
3/19 vs CLE 123-119 — SAC notes
SAC won 123-119. SAC shot 51% (46 of 91) to CLE's 55%, 16 of 35 from three. DeRozan led with 27 (10 of 19, 2 of 5 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Monk added 22, Carter 16. The hinge was Q3, 43-32: SAC came in trailing by 9 and left it ahead by 2. SAC trailed 47-56 at the half and won the second half 76-63.
3/20 vs CHI — 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 114 a night and allowing 125, shooting 48 percent and 38 from three, 23 free throws a game; DeRozan at 21 and Monk at 19 a game. Second night of a back-to-back. Chicago comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 111, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 17 free throws a game; White at 27 and Jones at 15 a game. Without Ball (9 straight), Smith (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Sacramento wins, and the game turns on the defense, Chicago allowing 111 a night to Sacramento's 125 and the line, where Sacramento takes 23 free throws a game to Chicago's 17. Call it Sacramento 118, Chicago 117, Chicago keeping it close.
3/22 vs MIL — 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 116 a night and allowing 124, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 22 free throws a game; DeRozan at 23 and Monk at 22 a game. Without Sabonis (2 straight). One day's rest. Milwaukee comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 108, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 31 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 25 and Lillard at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Portis (16 straight). One day's rest.
So: Milwaukee wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Milwaukee allowing 108 a night to Sacramento's 124 and the line, where Milwaukee takes 31 free throws a game to Sacramento's 22. Call it Milwaukee 116, Sacramento 114, Sacramento keeping it close.
3/24 vs BOS — 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 117 a night and allowing 121, shooting 49 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; Monk at 26 and DeRozan at 23 a game. Without Sabonis (3 straight). One day's rest. Boston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 103, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 17 free throws a game; Tatum at 26 and Porziņģis at 25 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Brown (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 103 a night to Sacramento's 121 and the line, where Sacramento takes 22 free throws a game to Boston's 17. Call it Boston 115, Sacramento 113, Sacramento keeping it close.
3/25 vs OKC — 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 115 a night and allowing 119, shooting 48 percent and 38 from three, 20 free throws a game; Monk at 28 and DeRozan at 23 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Monk (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. OKC comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 104, shooting 50 percent and 41 from three, 21 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 34 and Holmgren at 16 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 9 a night. Without Jal. Williams (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, OKC allowing 104 a night to Sacramento's 119 and the glass, where OKC has been plus-9 a night and Sacramento minus-2. Call it OKC 119, Sacramento 111.
3/11 vs BKN 109-104 — CLE notes
CLE won 109-104. CLE shot 44% (39 of 89) to BKN's 46%, 10 of 42 from three, and went to the line 25 times to BKN's 14 — 21 points from the stripe to their 10. The glass went 48-38 for them. Garland led with 30 (11 of 24, 3 of 11 from three); Allen added 23, Mobley 21. The hinge was Q4, 31-18: CLE came in trailing by 8 and left it ahead by 5. CLE trailed 50-63 at the half and won the second half 59-41. Garland was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
3/14 @ MEM 133-124 — CLE notes
CLE won 133-124. CLE shot 50% (44 of 88) to MEM's 49%, 19 of 51 from three, and went to the line 33 times to MEM's 21 — 26 points from the stripe to their 17. Mobley led with 22 (9 of 16, 3 of 6 from three); Garland added 20, Hunter 18. The hinge was Q2, 39-29: a lead of 7 became 17, and the lead reached 25. Garland was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
3/16 vs ORL 103-108 — CLE notes
CLE lost 103-108. CLE took 15 more shots (96 to 81), fed by 16 offensive rebounds, but shot 42% to ORL's 42%, 10 of 40 from three, and got to the line 20 times to ORL's 34. Mitchell led with 23 (9 of 28, 3 of 14 from three); Allen added 20, Garland 19. Q1 was theirs, 38-25, but the other 3 periods went 83-65 against them. They led by as many as 13. Jerome's -9 in 25 minutes was the worst on the floor.
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 — 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 116 a night and allowing 107, shooting 49 percent and 41 from three, 19 free throws a game; Booker at 26 and Durant at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Beal (2 straight), Allen (5 straight). One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 118, shooting 48 percent and 32 from three, 24 free throws a game; Mobley at 23 and Mitchell at 22 a game. That is 3 straight losses. One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the arc, Phoenix at 41 percent from three to Cleveland's 32 and the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-5 a night and Cleveland minus-3. Call it Phoenix 116, Cleveland 115, Cleveland keeping it close.
3/23 @ UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Utah comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 120, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 20 free throws a game; Sexton at 20 and George at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Collins (5 straight), Martin (4 straight). One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 122, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 22 free throws a game; Mobley at 22 and Garland at 18 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, on the road, and the game turns on the turnovers, Utah giving it away 18 times a game to Cleveland's 12. Call it Cleveland 119, Utah 115, Utah keeping it close.
3/25 @ POR — 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.
3/27 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.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
CLECP C. Porter Jr.
DH D. Hunter
DM D. Mitchell
DW D. Wade
EM E. Mobley
IO I. Okoro
JA J. Allen
MS M. Strus
SM S. Merrill
TJ T. Jerome
SACDC D. Carter
DD D. DeRozan
IJ I. Jones
JV J. Valančiūnas
KE K. Ellis
KM K. Murray
MF M. Fultz
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
The Kings hand the Cavaliers their 3rd straight loss with a 123-119 win
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- — DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points and the short-handed Sacramento Kings handed the Cleveland Cavaliers their third straight loss with a 123-119 victory on Wednesday night.
DeRozan made back-to-back baskets down the stretch to give the Kings a 119-116 lead and they closed it out from there for their second consecutive win following a four-game losing streak.
Malik Monk added 20 points as the Kings won without stars Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine .
Evan Mobley scored 22 of his 31 points in the final 15 minutes for Cleveland but it wasn't enough to help the Cavs get back on the winning track. Cleveland has matched its longest skid of the season following a 16-game winning streak.
Donovan Mitchell added 26 points for Cleveland.
Takeaways Cavaliers: With Darius Garland resting, Mobley took over for a stretch in the second half. He scored Cleveland’s final seven points of the third quarter and first eight of the fourth for 15 in a row to get the game back tied after the Cavs trailed by 11.
Kings: Sacramento fell behind by 13 early with Sabonis (ankle) and LaVine (personal) sidelined as they missed 17 of their first 19 shots. But they rallied thanks in part to a season-high 16 points from rookie Devin Carter .
Key moment Sacramento went on a 7-0 run midway through the fourth to take a 109-107 lead. DeRozan tied the game with a 3-pointer and Carter then had a steal and dunk to put the Kings ahead.
Key stat The Kings shot 1 for 11 from 2-point range in the first quarter for their worst performance in any non-overtime period in 19 years. They went 1 for 14 against Dallas in the third quarter on March 12, 2006.
Up next The Kings host Chicago on Thursday to finish a back-to-back, while the Cavs head to Phoenix on Friday.