Game ID: 22401124
Cleveland Cavaliers @ San Antonio Spurs
Friday, April 4, 2025 at 8:00 PM ET
Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, TX
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
SAS 28 22 32 31 113CLE 38 29 24 23 114
CLE @ SAS ScoutingCLE @ SAS 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.
SAS availability going into 3/29 · 1 day's restOUT Bassey missed 17 since 2/25, out tonight
NEW Wesley 12 to 20 min over the last 5
SAS availability going into 3/30 · back-to-backOUT Bassey missed 18 since 2/25, returns tonight: 10 min (95% of 10)
NEW Wesley 12 to 20 min over the last 5
SAS availability going into 4/01 · 1 day's restOUT Biyombo missed 2 since 3/29, returns tonight: 26 min (138% of 19)
BACK Bassey back 3/30 after 18, 10 min since (95% of 10)
NEW Wesley 12 to 21 min over the last 5
NEW Mamukelashvili 11 to 16 min over the last 5
SAS availability going into 4/02 · back-to-backBACK Biyombo back 4/01 after 2, 26 min since (138% of 19)
BACK Bassey back 3/30 after 18, 10 min since (95% of 10)
NEW Wesley 12 to 20 min over the last 5
NEW Mamukelashvili 11 to 17 min over the last 5
SAS availability going into 4/04 · 1 day's restOUT Bassey missed 2 since 4/01, returns tonight: 3 min (29% of 10)
BACK Biyombo back 4/01 after 2, 28 min since (152% of 19)
NEW Wesley 12 to 19 min over the last 5
NEW Mamukelashvili 11 to 18 min over the last 5
SAS availability going into 4/06 · 1 day's restBACK Biyombo back 4/01 after 2, 28 min since (149% of 19)
BACK Bassey back 3/30 after 18, 6 min since (62% of 10)
NEW Wesley 12 to 20 min over the last 5
NEW Mamukelashvili 11 to 19 min over the last 5
SAS availability going into 4/08 · 1 day's restBACK Biyombo back 4/01 after 2, 26 min since (137% of 19)
BACK Bassey back 3/30 after 18, 6 min since (62% of 10)
NEW Wesley 12 to 18 min over the last 5
NEW Mamukelashvili 11 to 18 min over the last 5
SAS availability going into 4/09 · back-to-backOUT Bassey missed 2 since 4/06, out tonight
BACK Biyombo back 4/01 after 2, 25 min since (132% of 19)
NEW Castle 27 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Wesley 12 to 17 min over the last 5
NEW Mamukelashvili 11 to 18 min over the last 5
SAS availability going into 4/11 · 1 day's restOUT Bassey missed 3 since 4/06, out tonight
NEW Barnes 27 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Castle 27 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Wesley 12 to 18 min over the last 5
NEW Mamukelashvili 11 to 19 min over the last 5
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)
CLE availability going into 4/10 · 1 day's restOUT Tomlin missed 3 since 4/04, out tonight
BACK Wade back 4/06 after 2, 12 min since (59% of 20)
BACK Jerome back 4/06 after 5, 22 min since (111% of 20)
CLE availability going into 4/11 · back-to-backOUT Mitchell missed 2 since 4/08, out tonight
OUT Tomlin missed 4 since 4/04, out tonight
BACK Wade back 4/06 after 2, 18 min since (87% of 20)
BACK Jerome back 4/06 after 5, 23 min since (117% of 20)
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.
3/29 vs BOS 111-121 — SAS notes
SAS lost 111-121. SAS shot 44% (38 of 87) to BOS's 48%, 14 of 40 from three, and went to the line 27 times to BOS's 18 — 21 points from the stripe to their 14. SAS turned it over 4 times to BOS's 9. The glass went 35-54 against them. Johnson led with 23 (9 of 12, 2 of 3 from three); Castle added 22, Sochan 18. Q4 was theirs, 30-27, the deficit cut from 13 to 10, but the other 3 periods went 94-81 against them. Vassell's -12 in 38 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/30 vs GSW 106-148 — SAS notes
SAS lost 106-148. SAS shot 48% (40 of 84) to GSW's 58%, 16 of 42 from three. SAS turned it over 21 times to GSW's 12, and GSW turned those into 17 steals. The glass went 34-44 against them. Johnson led with 19 (8 of 13, 2 of 5 from three); Mamukelashvili added 14, Branham 13. Q4 was theirs, 33-37, but the other 3 periods went 111-73 against them. Wesley's -30 in 27 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/01 vs ORL 105-116 — SAS notes
SAS lost 105-116. SAS shot 49% (40 of 81) to ORL's 48%, 13 of 32 from three. SAS turned it over 17 times to ORL's 10, and ORL turned those into 12 steals. Barnes led with 24 (9 of 14, 4 of 5 from three); Champagnie added 19, Castle 16. Q1 was theirs, 34-29, but the other 3 periods went 87-71 against them. They led by as many as 11. Castle's -22 in 35 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/02 @ DEN 113-106 — SAS notes
SAS won 113-106. SAS shot 44% (43 of 97) to DEN's 40%, 17 of 46 from three, and got to the line 13 times to DEN's 25. Barnes led with 20 (8 of 15, 3 of 8 from three); Paul added 17, Mamukelashvili 16. The hinge was Q1, 33-21: from level to 12 ahead, and the lead reached 20. Mamukelashvili was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
4/04 vs CLE 113-114 — SAS notes
SAS lost 113-114. SAS shot 44% (41 of 94) to CLE's 47%, 16 of 48 from three. Vassell led with 24 (9 of 18, 6 of 10 from three); Barnes added 23, Castle 22. Q3 was theirs, 32-24, the deficit cut from 17 to 9, but the other 3 periods went 90-81 against them. Johnson's -14 in 24 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/06 @ POR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Portland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 114, shooting 43 percent and 29 from three, 21 free throws a game; Avdija at 30 and Sharpe at 26 a game. Without Simons (3 straight), Grant (13 straight), Ayton (24 straight). One day's rest. San Antonio comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 121, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 18 free throws a game; Barnes at 17 and Castle at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. One day's rest.
So: Portland wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Portland has been plus-0 a night and San Antonio minus-8 and the arc, San Antonio at 37 percent from three to Portland's 29. Call it Portland 116, San Antonio 112, San Antonio keeping it close.
4/08 @ LAC — 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 38 from three, 21 free throws a game; Leonard at 24 and Harden at 21 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Without Coffey (4 straight). 2 days' rest. San Antonio comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 121, shooting 45 percent and 36 from three, 17 free throws a game; Barnes at 18 and Vassell at 17 a game. One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the defense, the Clippers allowing 101 a night to San Antonio's 121 and the glass, where the Clippers have been plus-4 a night and San Antonio minus-4. Call it the Clippers 118, San Antonio 107, the Clippers by 11.
4/09 @ GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Golden State comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 109, shooting 46 percent and 40 from three, 24 free throws a game; Curry at 31 and Podziemski at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Second night of a back-to-back. San Antonio comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 116, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 17 free throws a game; Barnes at 22 and Castle at 19 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Golden State wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Golden State has been plus-5 a night and San Antonio minus-5 and the line, where Golden State takes 24 free throws a game to San Antonio's 17. Call it Golden State 118, San Antonio 110.
4/11 @ PHX — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 125, shooting 44 percent and 30 from three, 17 free throws a game; Booker at 31 and Allen at 12 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest. San Antonio comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 115, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 18 free throws a game; Barnes at 21 and Castle at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest.
So: San Antonio wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, San Antonio allowing 115 a night to Phoenix's 125 and the arc, San Antonio at 37 percent from three to Phoenix's 30. Call it San Antonio 116, Phoenix 114, Phoenix keeping it close.
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 124-105 — CLE notes
CLE won 124-105. CLE shot 53% (50 of 94) to NYK's 44%, 12 of 37 from three. Mitchell led with 27 (10 of 18, 3 of 7 from three); Allen added 21, Garland 17. The hinge was Q3, 38-25: CLE came in trailing by 7 and left it ahead by 6, and the lead reached 21. CLE trailed 53-60 at the half and won the second half 71-45. Mobley was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
4/04 @ SAS 114-113 — CLE notes
CLE won 114-113. CLE shot 47% (41 of 87) to SAS's 44%, 22 of 51 from three. Mitchell led with 26 (8 of 18, 6 of 11 from three, 4 of 6 at the line); Mobley added 25, Garland 19. The hinge was Q1, 38-28: from level to 10 ahead, and the lead reached 23.
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.
4/10 @ IND — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Indiana comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 109, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 24 free throws a game; Turner at 20 and Siakam at 18 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Sheppard (2 straight), Isa. Jackson (73 straight). One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 115, shooting 51 percent and 38 from three, 17 free throws a game; Mitchell at 24 and Mobley at 19 a game. One day's rest.
So: Indiana wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Cleveland giving it away 13 times a game to Indiana's 8 and the line, where Indiana takes 24 free throws a game to Cleveland's 17. Call it Indiana 117, Cleveland 116, Cleveland keeping it close.
4/11 @ NYK — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 112, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 18 free throws a game; Towns at 27 and Anunoby at 23 a game. Second night of a back-to-back. Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 113, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 15 free throws a game; Mitchell at 24 and Jerome at 21 a game. Without Mitchell (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the arc, Cleveland at 40 percent from three to New York's 36. Call it New York 116, Cleveland 115, Cleveland keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
CLECP C. Porter Jr.
DG D. Garland
DH D. Hunter
DM D. Mitchell
EM E. Mobley
IO I. Okoro
JA J. Allen
JG J. Green
MS M. Strus
SM S. Merrill
SASBB B. Biyombo
BW B. Wesley
CB C. Bassey
CP C. Paul
DV D. Vassell
HB H. Barnes
JC J. Champagnie
KJ K. Johnson
SC S. Castle
SM S. Mamukelashvili
CLE/SAS 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
Mitchell, Mobley help Cavaliers beat Spurs 114-113, close within a game of sealing East's best mark
SAN ANTONIO -- — Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points, Evan Mobley added 25 points and 10 rebounds and the Cleveland Cavaliers held on to beat the San Antonio Spurs 114-113 on Friday to move a game away from clinching the best record in the Eastern Conference.
Cleveland never trailed and led by 23 points in winning its third straight. The Cavaliers have won six of seven and are a win or a Boston loss from clinching the East's best record for the sixth time in franchise history.
Despite the early dominance, Cleveland had to hold on to beat San Antonio.
Spurs forward Harrison Barnes’ 3-pointer with 29 seconds remaining cut Cleveland’s lead to 114-113.
The 3-pointer came between missed 3-pointers by Mitchell and Darius Garland in the final 43 seconds.
Barnes' layup attempt failed to drop in as time expired to preserve Cleveland's victory.
Devin Vassell had 24 points to lead San Antonio and Barnes added 23.
San Antonio has one home game remaining in a season that began with hope but devolved quickly after Gregg Popovich suffered a mild stroke on Nov. 2 followed by season-ending injuries to Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox .
Takeaways Cavaliers: Max Strus was 1 for 5 on 3-pointers to finish with three points in 32 minutes. Strus has failed to score in double figures in six of his last seven games.
Spurs: Veteran point guard Chris Paul had nine points and eight assists in 30 minutes. Paul is vying to play every game for only the second time in his career. He played all 82 games for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2015.
Key moment San Antonio outscored Cleveland 31-23 in the final quarter to turn a 23-point deficit into a one-possession game in the final seconds.
Key stat Cleveland was 22 for 51 on 3-pointers, including 15 for 30 in the first half.
Up next Cavaliers: host Sacramento on Sunday, and Spurs play at Portland to open a four-game trip.