Game ID: 22500278
LA Clippers @ Cleveland Cavaliers
Sunday, November 23, 2025 at 6:00 PM ET
Rocket Arena, Cleveland, OH
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
CLE 27 32 33 28 120LAC 24 28 27 26 105
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 11/15 · 1 day's restOUT Garland missed 2 since 11/12, out tonight
OUT Tyson missed 2 since 11/12, out tonight
BACK Tomlin back 11/12 after 2, 20 min since (136% of 14)
BACK Nance Jr. back 11/12 after 2, 13 min since (107% of 12)
BACK Bryant back 11/12 after 2, 10 min since (88% of 11)
NEW Proctor 10 to 16 min over the last 4
CLE availability going into 11/17 · 1 day's restOUT Garland missed 3 since 11/12, out tonight
OUT Tyson missed 3 since 11/12, out tonight
BACK Tomlin back 11/12 after 2, 19 min since (132% of 14)
BACK Nance Jr. back 11/12 after 2, 10 min since (84% of 12)
BACK Bryant back 11/12 after 2, 10 min since (88% of 11)
CLE availability going into 11/19 · 1 day's restOUT Garland missed 4 since 11/12, out tonight
OUT Tyson missed 4 since 11/12, out tonight
BACK Tomlin back 11/12 after 2, 17 min since (120% of 14)
BACK Nance Jr. back 11/12 after 2, 10 min since (84% of 12)
BACK Bryant back 11/12 after 2, 9 min since (79% of 11)
CLE availability going into 11/21 · 1 day's restOUT Garland missed 5 since 11/12, returns tonight: 27 min (87% of 30)
OUT Tyson missed 5 since 11/12, returns tonight: 27 min (112% of 24)
OUT Nance Jr. missed 2 since 11/17, returns tonight: 19 min (156% of 12)
BACK Tomlin back 11/12 after 2, 18 min since (123% of 14)
BACK Bryant back 11/12 after 2, 8 min since (68% of 11)
NEW Porter Jr. 16 to 23 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 11/23 · 1 day's restOUT Merrill missed 2 since 11/19, out tonight
BACK Garland back 11/21 after 5, 27 min since (87% of 30)
BACK Tyson back 11/21 after 5, 27 min since (112% of 24)
BACK Nance Jr. back 11/21 after 2, 19 min since (156% of 12)
CLE availability going into 11/24 · back-to-backOUT Allen missed 2 since 11/21, out tonight
OUT Merrill missed 3 since 11/19, out tonight
BACK Garland back 11/21 after 5, 28 min since (92% of 30)
BACK Tyson back 11/21 after 5, 25 min since (104% of 24)
BACK Nance Jr. back 11/21 after 2, 16 min since (129% of 12)
CLE availability going into 11/28 · 3 days' restOUT Allen missed 3 since 11/21, returns tonight: 28 min (101% of 28)
OUT Merrill missed 4 since 11/19, out tonight
OUT Porter Jr. missed 2 since 11/23, out tonight
BACK Garland back 11/21 after 5, 28 min since (92% of 30)
BACK Tyson back 11/21 after 5, 28 min since (116% of 24)
BACK Nance Jr. back 11/21 after 2, 17 min since (135% of 12)
NEW Ball 21 to 27 min over the last 4
NEW Tomlin 14 to 19 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 11/30 · 1 day's restOUT Merrill missed 5 since 11/19, out tonight
OUT Porter Jr. missed 3 since 11/23, returns tonight: 11 min (65% of 16)
BACK Garland back 11/21 after 5, 30 min since (97% of 30)
BACK Allen back 11/28 after 3, 28 min since (101% of 28)
BACK Tyson back 11/21 after 5, 26 min since (109% of 24)
BACK Nance Jr. back 11/21 after 2, 15 min since (121% of 12)
CLE availability going into 12/01 · back-to-backOUT Merrill missed 6 since 11/19, out tonight
BACK Garland back 11/21 after 5, 30 min since (99% of 30)
BACK Allen back 11/28 after 3, 28 min since (101% of 28)
BACK Tyson back 11/21 after 5, 28 min since (116% of 24)
BACK Porter Jr. back 11/30 after 3, 11 min since (65% of 16)
BACK Nance Jr. back 11/21 after 2, 15 min since (121% of 12)
NEW Tomlin 14 to 20 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 11/16 · 1 day's restOUT Leonard missed 6 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Paul missed 4 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Niederhäuser missed 4 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Sanders back 11/12 after 8, 19 min since (96% of 20)
BACK Bogdanović back 11/12 after 2, 29 min since (145% of 20)
LAC availability going into 11/17 · back-to-backOUT Leonard missed 7 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Paul missed 5 since 11/08, returns tonight: 11 min (79% of 14)
OUT Niederhäuser missed 5 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Sanders back 11/12 after 8, 20 min since (102% of 20)
BACK Bogdanović back 11/12 after 2, 31 min since (156% of 20)
LAC availability going into 11/20 · 2 days' restOUT Leonard missed 8 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Niederhäuser missed 6 since 11/08, returns tonight: 11 min (103% of 10)
BACK Sanders back 11/12 after 8, 23 min since (115% of 20)
BACK Bogdanović back 11/12 after 2, 30 min since (151% of 20)
BACK Paul back 11/17 after 5, 11 min since (79% of 14)
LAC availability going into 11/22 · 1 day's restOUT Leonard missed 9 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Jones Jr. missed 2 since 11/17, out tonight
OUT Miller missed 2 since 11/17, out tonight
BACK Sanders back 11/12 after 8, 24 min since (118% of 20)
BACK Bogdanović back 11/12 after 2, 28 min since (142% of 20)
BACK Paul back 11/17 after 5, 17 min since (121% of 14)
BACK Niederhäuser back 11/20 after 6, 11 min since (103% of 10)
LAC availability going into 11/23 · back-to-backOUT Leonard missed 10 since 11/04, returns tonight: 26 min (82% of 32)
OUT Jones Jr. missed 3 since 11/17, out tonight
OUT Miller missed 3 since 11/17, out tonight
BACK Paul back 11/17 after 5, 19 min since (135% of 14)
BACK Niederhäuser back 11/20 after 6, 7 min since (67% of 10)
NEW Bogdanović 20 to 30 min over the last 4
LAC availability going into 11/25 · 1 day's restOUT Jones Jr. missed 4 since 11/17, out tonight
OUT Miller missed 4 since 11/17, out tonight
OUT Bogdanović missed 2 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK Leonard back 11/23 after 10, 26 min since (82% of 32)
BACK Paul back 11/17 after 5, 19 min since (131% of 14)
BACK Niederhäuser back 11/20 after 6, 6 min since (56% of 10)
NEW Sanders 20 to 27 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 11/28 · 2 days' restOUT Jones Jr. missed 5 since 11/17, out tonight
OUT Miller missed 5 since 11/17, out tonight
OUT Bogdanović missed 3 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK Leonard back 11/23 after 10, 27 min since (84% of 32)
BACK Paul back 11/17 after 5, 17 min since (118% of 14)
BACK Niederhäuser back 11/20 after 6, 5 min since (47% of 10)
NEW Sanders 20 to 26 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 11/29 · back-to-backOUT Jones Jr. missed 6 since 11/17, out tonight
OUT Miller missed 6 since 11/17, out tonight
OUT Lopez missed 2 since 11/25, out tonight
OUT Bogdanović missed 4 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK Leonard back 11/23 after 10, 28 min since (86% of 32)
BACK Niederhäuser back 11/20 after 6, 5 min since (47% of 10)
LAC availability going into 12/01 · 1 day's restOUT Jones Jr. missed 7 since 11/17, out tonight
OUT Miller missed 7 since 11/17, returns tonight: 6 min (25% of 22)
OUT Lopez missed 3 since 11/25, out tonight
OUT Bogdanović missed 5 since 11/22, out tonight
OUT Niederhäuser missed 2 since 11/28, returns tonight: 12 min (120% of 10)
BACK Leonard back 11/23 after 10, 28 min since (87% of 32)
NEW Batum 18 to 24 min over the last 5
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 113 a night and allowing 111, shooting 48 percent and 33 from three, 27 free throws a game; Mitchell at 30 and Mobley at 17 a game. Without Merrill (2 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 121, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 27 free throws a game; Harden at 38 and Zubac at 18 a game. Without Leonard (10 straight), Jones Jr. (3 straight), Miller (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the defense, Cleveland allowing 111 a night to the Clippers' 121 and the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-1 a night and the Clippers minus-3. Call it Cleveland 120, the Clippers 112.
11/15 vs MEM 108-100 — CLE notes
CLE won 108-100. CLE shot 46% (38 of 83) to MEM's 36%, 13 of 40 from three, and got to the line 29 times to MEM's 40. CLE turned it over 20 times to MEM's 15, and MEM turned those into 9 steals. Mitchell led with 30 (10 of 21, 4 of 13 from three, 6 of 9 at the line); Mobley added 22, Allen 16. The hinge was Q4, 32-16: CLE came in trailing by 8 and left it ahead by 8. CLE trailed 54-61 at the half and won the second half 54-39. Wade was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
11/17 vs MIL 118-106 — CLE notes
CLE won 118-106. CLE shot 56% (44 of 79) to MIL's 42%, 15 of 35 from three, and went to the line 21 times to MIL's 15 — 15 points from the stripe to their 11. The glass went 45-34 for them. Mitchell led with 37 (14 of 22, 4 of 8 from three, 5 of 7 at the line); Merrill added 20, Mobley 14. The hinge was Q2, 33-24: CLE came in trailing by 7 and left it ahead by 2. Wade was the night's best plus/minus at +14.
11/19 vs HOU 104-114 — CLE notes
CLE lost 104-114. CLE shot 44% (36 of 81) to HOU's 46%, 12 of 39 from three. The glass went 39-51 against them. Hunter led with 25 (6 of 11, 5 of 8 from three, 8 of 8 at the line); Mitchell added 21, Mobley 18. Q3 was theirs, 30-17, the deficit cut from 17 to 4, but the other 3 periods went 97-74 against them. Mitchell's -18 in 34 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/21 vs IND 120-109 — CLE notes
CLE won 120-109. CLE shot 48% (43 of 89) to IND's 42%, 13 of 35 from three. Mitchell led with 32 (11 of 22, 4 of 11 from three, 6 of 8 at the line); Mobley added 22, Hunter 20. The hinge was Q3, 38-26: a lead of 7 became 19, and the lead reached 22. Hunter was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
11/23 vs LAC 120-105 — CLE notes
CLE won 120-105. CLE shot 52% (45 of 87) to LAC's 46%, 17 of 45 from three, and got to the line 20 times to LAC's 26. Mitchell led with 37 (14 of 22, 5 of 9 from three); Mobley added 18, Hunter 17. The hinge was Q3, 33-27: a lead of 7 became 13, and the lead reached 20. Mobley was the night's best plus/minus at +26.
11/24 @ TOR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Toronto comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 110, shooting 53 percent and 40 from three, 30 free throws a game; Ingram at 21 and Barrett at 20 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Second night of a back-to-back. Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 107, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 26 free throws a game; Mitchell at 31 and Mobley at 19 a game. Without Allen (2 straight), Merrill (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Toronto wins, and the game turns on the arc, Toronto at 40 percent from three to Cleveland's 36. Call it Toronto 118, Cleveland 113.
11/28 @ ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Atlanta comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 119, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 16 free throws a game; Porziņģis at 23 and Johnson at 21 a game. Without Young (14 straight). 2 days' rest. Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 109, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 23 free throws a game; Mitchell at 29 and Hunter at 18 a game. Without Allen (3 straight), Merrill (4 straight), Porter Jr. (2 straight). 3 days' rest.
So: Atlanta wins, and the game turns on the defense, Cleveland allowing 109 a night to Atlanta's 119 and the line, where Cleveland takes 23 free throws a game to Atlanta's 16. Call it Atlanta 116, Cleveland 115, Cleveland keeping it close.
11/30 vs BOS — 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 113 a night and allowing 114, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 22 free throws a game; Mitchell at 30 and Hunter at 20 a game. Without Merrill (5 straight), Porter Jr. (3 straight). One day's rest. Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 115, shooting 49 percent and 41 from three, 20 free throws a game; Brown at 33 and White at 16 a game. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the arc, Boston at 41 percent from three to Cleveland's 35. Call it Cleveland 116, Boston 114, Boston keeping it close.
12/01 @ IND — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Indiana comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 105, shooting 47 percent and 35 from three, 21 free throws a game; Siakam at 22 and Mathurin at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Nesmith (8 straight), Furphy (13 straight), Que. Jackson (13 straight). One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 114, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 19 free throws a game; Mitchell at 29 and Mobley at 20 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Merrill (6 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Indiana wins, and the game turns on the defense, Indiana allowing 105 a night to Cleveland's 114 and the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-1 a night and Indiana minus-4. Call it Indiana 114, Cleveland 113, Cleveland keeping it close.
11/16 @ BOS 118-121 — LAC notes
LAC lost 118-121. LAC shot 47% (38 of 81) to BOS's 45%, 14 of 35 from three, and went to the line 30 times to BOS's 17 — 28 points from the stripe to their 13. LAC turned it over 13 times to BOS's 6. Harden led with 37 (9 of 22, 5 of 11 from three, 14 of 15 at the line); Collins added 17, Zubac 16. Q3 was theirs, 36-27, the deficit cut from 14 to 5, but the other 3 periods went 94-82 against them.
11/17 @ PHI 108-110 — LAC notes
LAC lost 108-110. LAC shot 40% (35 of 87) to PHI's 46%, 12 of 39 from three. Harden led with 28 (7 of 25, 2 of 12 from three, 12 of 12 at the line); Sanders added 17, Zubac 14. Q1 was theirs, 33-25, but the other 3 periods went 85-75 against them. They led by as many as 13.
11/20 @ ORL 101-129 — LAC notes
LAC lost 101-129. LAC shot 40% (36 of 89) to ORL's 48%, 14 of 36 from three. LAC turned it over 21 times to ORL's 10, and ORL turned those into 12 steals. Harden led with 31 (8 of 16, 5 of 11 from three, 10 of 12 at the line); Zubac added 14. Q3 was theirs, 27-32, but the other 3 periods went 97-74 against them. Harden's -20 in 31 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/22 @ CHA 131-116 — LAC notes
LAC won 131-116. LAC shot 51% (46 of 90) to CHA's 48%, 19 of 43 from three. Harden led with 55 (17 of 26, 10 of 16 from three, 11 of 14 at the line); Zubac added 18, Sanders 11. The hinge was Q3, 34-25: a lead of 5 became 14, and the lead reached 24. Harden was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
11/23 @ CLE 105-120 — LAC notes
LAC lost 105-120. LAC shot 46% (37 of 80) to CLE's 52%, 8 of 26 from three, and went to the line 26 times to CLE's 20 — 23 points from the stripe to their 13. Zubac led with 33 (15 of 22); Leonard added 20, Harden 19. Q4 was theirs, 26-28, but the other 3 periods went 92-79 against them. Lopez's -24 in 11 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/25 @ LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 110, shooting 49 percent and 32 from three, 31 free throws a game; Dončić at 31 and Reaves at 23 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Without Vanderbilt (2 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 1-4 over their last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 119, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 25 free throws a game; Harden at 34 and Zubac at 19 a game. Without Jones Jr. (4 straight), Miller (4 straight), Bogdanović (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the glass, where the Lakers have been plus-4 a night and the Clippers minus-2 and the defense, the Lakers allowing 110 a night to the Clippers' 119. Call it the Lakers 119, the Clippers 111.
11/28 vs MEM — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 1-4 over their last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 122, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 24 free throws a game; Harden at 32 and Zubac at 18 a game. Without Jones Jr. (5 straight), Miller (5 straight), Bogdanović (3 straight). 2 days' rest. Memphis comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 111, shooting 46 percent and 34 from three, 18 free throws a game; Jackson Jr. at 20 and Aldama at 17 a game. It has won the glass by 12 a night. Without Morant (5 straight), Mashack (3 straight), Jackson (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Memphis wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Memphis has been plus-12 a night and the Clippers minus-3 and the defense, Memphis allowing 111 a night to the Clippers' 122. Call it Memphis 116, the Clippers 115, the Clippers keeping it close.
11/29 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 1-4 over their last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 122, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 23 free throws a game; Harden at 31 and Leonard at 26 a game. That is 3 straight losses. They have lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Jones Jr. (6 straight), Miller (6 straight), Lopez (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Dallas comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 113, shooting 43 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Washington at 19 and Flagg at 16 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the defense, Dallas allowing 113 a night to the Clippers' 122. Call it the Clippers 115, Dallas 113, Dallas keeping it close.
12/01 @ MIA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Miami comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 113, shooting 47 percent and 33 from three, 31 free throws a game; Herro at 26 and Powell at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Jakučionis (13 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 1-4 over their last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 119, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 25 free throws a game; Harden at 31 and Leonard at 27 a game. That is 4 straight losses. Without Jones Jr. (7 straight), Miller (7 straight), Lopez (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Miami wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Miami has been plus-5 a night and the Clippers minus-2 and the line, where Miami takes 31 free throws a game to the Clippers' 25. Call it Miami 122, the Clippers 113.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
CLEDG D. Garland
DH D. Hunter
DM D. Mitchell
DW D. Wade
EM E. Mobley
JT J. Tyson
LN L. Nance Jr.
LT L. Travers
NT N. Tomlin
TB T. Bryant
TP T. Proctor
LACBL B. Lopez
CC C. Christie
CP C. Paul
IZ I. Zubac
JC J. Collins
JH J. Harden
JT J. Telfort
KB K. Brown
KD K. Dunn
KL K. Leonard
KS K. Sanders
NB N. Batum
YN Y. Niederhäuser
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
Donovan Mitchell scores 37 points, takes over in 3rd in Cavaliers' 120-105 win over Clippers
CLEVELAND -- — Donovan Mitchell scored 37 points and took over when the game got close, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 120-105 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night.
Mitchell helped the Cavs pull away with a flurry of plays late in the third quarter. He finished with five 3-pointers, eight rebounds and six assists.
Evan Mobley had 18 points and 10 rebounds and De'Andre Hunter scored 17 points as Cleveland went 4-2 on a six-game homestand.
Ivica Zubac paced the Clippers with 33 points — two off his career high — and 18 rebounds.
James Harden , who ha d a franchise-record 55 points for Los Angeles in a win at Charlotte on Saturday, missed all eight 3-point shots and finished with 19 points.
Kawhi Leonard scored 20 points in his return to the Clippers' lineup after missing 10 games with a sprained right ankle. LA went 2-8 while Leonard was out.
Los Angeles trimmed a 13-point deficit to one in the third when Mitchell went to work.
The six-time All-Star had consecutive 3-point plays, dropped a 3-pointer and had two assists in the final 3:06 as the Cavs closed the quarter with a 15-3 run to open a 92-79 lead.
Mitchell then made another 3-pointer and had two more assists in the opening minutes of the fourth as the Cavs pushed their lead to 18.
The Cavaliers were without several key players as starting center Jarrett Allen (finger) and guards Lonzo Ball (knee), Sam Merrill (hand) and Craig Porter Jr . (hamstring) sat with injuries.
Cleveland has played 10 different starting lineups while combating injuries.
Clippers guard Chris Paul picked up five assists in 17 minutes. Paul announced his retirement on Saturday via social media, and the 12-time All-Star received a warm ovation from Cleveland's crowd when he checked into the game.
Up next Clippers: At Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.