Game ID: 22500478
Denver Nuggets @ Cleveland Cavaliers
Friday, January 2, 2026 at 7:30 PM ET
Rocket Arena, Cleveland, OH
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
CLE 28 34 26 25 113DEN 24 35 38 11 108
CLE vs DEN ScoutingCLE vs DEN 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 12/25 · 1 day's restOUT Mobley missed 5 since 12/14, returns tonight: 25 min (77% of 33)
OUT Nance Jr. missed 11 since 11/30, out tonight
BACK Allen back 12/14 after 6, 25 min since (91% of 28)
BACK Merrill back 12/22 after 14, 26 min since (104% of 25)
BACK Proctor back 12/14 after 4, 10 min since (98% of 10)
NEW Bryant 11 to 18 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 12/27 · 1 day's restOUT Nance Jr. missed 12 since 11/30, out tonight
BACK Mobley back 12/25 after 5, 25 min since (77% of 33)
BACK Merrill back 12/22 after 14, 27 min since (108% of 25)
CLE availability going into 12/29 · 1 day's restOUT Tomlin missed 2 since 12/25, returns tonight: 5 min (37% of 14)
OUT Nance Jr. missed 13 since 11/30, out tonight
BACK Mobley back 12/25 after 5, 23 min since (69% of 33)
BACK Merrill back 12/22 after 14, 27 min since (107% of 25)
CLE availability going into 12/31 · 1 day's restOUT Nance Jr. missed 14 since 11/30, out tonight
BACK Mobley back 12/25 after 5, 25 min since (75% of 33)
BACK Merrill back 12/22 after 14, 26 min since (106% of 25)
BACK Tomlin back 12/29 after 2, 5 min since (37% of 14)
CLE availability going into 1/02 · 1 day's restOUT Ball missed 2 since 12/29, returns tonight: 15 min (71% of 21)
OUT Nance Jr. missed 15 since 11/30, out tonight
BACK Mobley back 12/25 after 5, 26 min since (79% of 33)
BACK Tomlin back 12/29 after 2, 9 min since (62% of 14)
CLE availability going into 1/04 · 1 day's restOUT Nance Jr. missed 16 since 11/30, out tonight
BACK Mobley back 12/25 after 5, 27 min since (83% of 33)
BACK Ball back 1/02 after 2, 15 min since (71% of 21)
BACK Tomlin back 12/29 after 2, 12 min since (84% of 14)
CLE availability going into 1/06 · 1 day's restOUT Wade missed 2 since 1/02, returns tonight: 8 min (38% of 22)
OUT Nance Jr. missed 17 since 11/30, out tonight
BACK Ball back 1/02 after 2, 12 min since (59% of 21)
BACK Tomlin back 12/29 after 2, 14 min since (95% of 14)
CLE availability going into 1/08 · 1 day's restOUT Nance Jr. missed 18 since 11/30, out tonight
OUT Proctor missed 2 since 1/04, out tonight
BACK Wade back 1/06 after 2, 8 min since (38% of 22)
BACK Ball back 1/02 after 2, 12 min since (59% of 21)
BACK Tomlin back 12/29 after 2, 15 min since (104% of 14)
NEW Porter Jr. 16 to 24 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 1/10 · 1 day's restOUT Ball missed 2 since 1/06, out tonight
OUT Nance Jr. missed 19 since 11/30, out tonight
OUT Bryant missed 2 since 1/06, returns tonight: 3 min (24% of 11)
OUT Proctor missed 3 since 1/04, returns tonight: 3 min (27% of 10)
BACK Wade back 1/06 after 2, 8 min since (38% of 22)
NEW Porter Jr. 16 to 23 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 12/25 · 1 day's restOUT Braun missed 18 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Gordon missed 14 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK Watson back 12/22 after 2, 26 min since (88% of 30)
BACK Strawther back 12/18 after 13, 9 min since (58% of 15)
DEN availability going into 12/27 · 1 day's restOUT Braun missed 19 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Gordon missed 15 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK Watson back 12/22 after 2, 31 min since (106% of 30)
BACK Strawther back 12/18 after 13, 9 min since (62% of 15)
DEN availability going into 12/29 · 1 day's restOUT Braun missed 20 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Johnson missed 2 since 12/25, out tonight
OUT Gordon missed 16 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK Watson back 12/22 after 2, 32 min since (109% of 30)
NEW Hardaway Jr. 26 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Jones 22 to 30 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 12/31 · 1 day's restOUT Braun missed 21 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Johnson missed 3 since 12/25, out tonight
OUT Gordon missed 17 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK Watson back 12/22 after 2, 32 min since (109% of 30)
NEW Jones 22 to 31 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 1/02 · 1 day's restOUT Braun missed 22 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Johnson missed 4 since 12/25, out tonight
OUT Gordon missed 18 since 11/22, out tonight
NEW Hardaway Jr. 26 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Jones 22 to 34 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 1/04 · 1 day's restOUT Jokić missed 2 since 12/31, out tonight
OUT Braun missed 23 since 11/15, returns tonight: 24 min (76% of 32)
OUT Johnson missed 5 since 12/25, out tonight
OUT Gordon missed 19 since 11/22, returns tonight: 21 min (75% of 28)
NEW Watson 30 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Hardaway Jr. 26 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Jones 22 to 37 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 1/05 · back-to-backOUT Jokić missed 3 since 12/31, out tonight
OUT Johnson missed 6 since 12/25, out tonight
OUT Valančiūnas missed 2 since 1/02, out tonight
BACK Braun back 1/04 after 23, 24 min since (76% of 32)
BACK Gordon back 1/04 after 19, 21 min since (75% of 28)
NEW Jones 22 to 34 min over the last 5
NEW Nnaji 12 to 17 min over the last 3
DEN availability going into 1/07 · 1 day's restOUT Jokić missed 4 since 12/31, out tonight
OUT Johnson missed 7 since 12/25, out tonight
OUT Valančiūnas missed 3 since 1/02, out tonight
BACK Braun back 1/04 after 23, 24 min since (76% of 32)
BACK Gordon back 1/04 after 19, 21 min since (75% of 28)
NEW Watson 30 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Jones 22 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Pickett 16 to 22 min over the last 5
NEW Nnaji 12 to 21 min over the last 4
DEN availability going into 1/09 · 1 day's restOUT Jokić missed 5 since 12/31, out tonight
OUT Johnson missed 8 since 12/25, out tonight
OUT Valančiūnas missed 4 since 1/02, out tonight
BACK Braun back 1/04 after 23, 27 min since (85% of 32)
BACK Gordon back 1/04 after 19, 22 min since (79% of 28)
NEW Watson 30 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Jones 22 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Pickett 16 to 25 min over the last 5
NEW Nnaji 12 to 25 min over the last 4
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 121 a night and allowing 115, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 17 free throws a game; Mitchell at 24 and Tyson at 17 a game. Without Ball (2 straight). One day's rest. Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 129, shooting 50 percent and 40 from three, 26 free throws a game; Jokić at 35 and Murray at 26 a game. Without Braun (22 straight), Johnson (4 straight), Gordon (18 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the defense, Cleveland allowing 115 a night to Denver's 129 and the line, where Denver takes 26 free throws a game to Cleveland's 17. Call it Cleveland 123, Denver 119, Denver keeping it close.
12/25 @ NYK 124-126 — CLE notes
CLE lost 124-126. CLE shot 52% (45 of 86) to NYK's 47%, 15 of 34 from three. Mitchell led with 34 (12 of 25, 4 of 9 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Garland added 20, Tyson 16. Q1 was theirs, 38-23, but the other 3 periods went 103-86 against them. They led by as many as 17.
12/27 @ HOU 100-117 — CLE notes
CLE lost 100-117. CLE took 8 more shots (96 to 88), fed by 15 offensive rebounds, but shot 43% to HOU's 49%, 11 of 36 from three, and got to the line 11 times to HOU's 21. Tyson led with 23 (10 of 20, 1 of 5 from three); Mitchell added 16, Merrill 13. Q4 was theirs, 37-27, the deficit cut from 27 to 17, but the other 3 periods went 90-63 against them. Garland's -32 in 24 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/29 @ SAS 113-101 — CLE notes
CLE won 113-101. CLE shot 43% (41 of 96) to SAS's 39%, 13 of 42 from three, and got to the line 20 times to SAS's 36. CLE turned it over 12 times to SAS's 18. Allen led with 27 (11 of 21, 5 of 7 at the line); Mobley added 16, Garland 15. The hinge was Q4, 37-23: CLE came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 12. CLE trailed 49-55 at the half and won the second half 64-46. Mitchell was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
12/31 vs PHX 129-113 — CLE notes
CLE won 129-113. CLE shot 50% (48 of 96) to PHX's 40%, 15 of 38 from three, and went to the line 22 times to PHX's 16 — 18 points from the stripe to their 14. Mitchell led with 34 (10 of 18, 4 of 7 from three, 10 of 12 at the line); Garland added 19, Tyson 18. The hinge was Q1, 37-21: from level to 16 ahead, and the lead reached 24. Allen was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
1/02 vs DEN 113-108 — CLE notes
CLE won 113-108. CLE shot 50% (43 of 86) to DEN's 43%, 16 of 39 from three, and went to the line 19 times to DEN's 13 — 11 points from the stripe to their 11. CLE turned it over 16 times to DEN's 8, and DEN turned those into 8 steals. The glass went 55-32 for them. Mitchell led with 33 (14 of 24, 5 of 12 from three); Garland added 18, Hunter 16. The hinge was Q4, 25-11: CLE came in trailing by 9 and left it ahead by 5. Allen was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
1/04 vs DET — 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 116 a night and allowing 113, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 19 free throws a game; Mitchell at 25 and Garland at 17 a game. That is 3 straight wins. One day's rest. Detroit comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 119, shooting 52 percent and 40 from three, 28 free throws a game; Cunningham at 27 and Duren at 16 a game. Without LeVert (2 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the line, where Detroit takes 28 free throws a game to Cleveland's 19. Call it Cleveland 118, Detroit 116, Detroit keeping it close.
1/06 @ IND — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Indiana comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 128, shooting 50 percent and 40 from three, 21 free throws a game; Siakam at 28 and Nembhard at 17 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. Without Toppin (33 straight), Isa. Jackson (7 straight). One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 111, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 20 free throws a game; Mitchell at 25 and Garland at 16 a game. Without Wade (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Cleveland allowing 111 a night to Indiana's 128 and the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-2 a night and Indiana minus-8. Call it Cleveland 119, Indiana 115, Indiana keeping it close.
1/08 @ MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 110, shooting 51 percent and 34 from three, 24 free throws a game; Edwards at 29 and Randle at 19 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 110, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Mitchell at 27 and Garland at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Cleveland giving it away 16 times a game to Minnesota's 11. Call it Minnesota 119, Cleveland 113.
1/10 vs MIN — 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 119 a night and allowing 116, shooting 51 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; Mitchell at 32 and Garland at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. Without Ball (2 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 114, shooting 51 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Edwards at 30 and Randle at 21 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has won the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Minnesota 118, Cleveland 117, Cleveland keeping it close.
12/25 vs MIN 142-138 — DEN notes
DEN won 142-138 in 1 overtime. DEN shot 47% (47 of 101) to MIN's 49%, 19 of 43 from three. Jokić led with 56 (15 of 21, 4 of 6 from three, 22 of 23 at the line); Murray added 35, Hardaway Jr. 19. The hinge was Q3, 35-23: a lead of 2 became 14.
12/27 @ ORL 126-127 — DEN notes
DEN lost 126-127. DEN shot 51% (44 of 86) to ORL's 52%, 11 of 29 from three, and got to the line 30 times to ORL's 37. DEN turned it over 16 times to ORL's 6, and ORL turned those into 8 steals. The glass went 49-35 for them. Jokić led with 34 (11 of 22, 12 of 13 at the line); Murray added 24, Hardaway Jr. 20. Q1 was theirs, 31-23, but the other 3 periods went 104-95 against them. They led by as many as 17.
12/29 @ MIA 123-147 — DEN notes
DEN lost 123-147. DEN shot 53% (47 of 89) to MIA's 54%, 11 of 31 from three. The glass went 36-46 against them. Jokić led with 21 (9 of 14, 1 of 4 from three); Murray added 20, S. Jones 16. Q2 was theirs, 34-22, the deficit cut from 12 to 0, but the other 3 periods went 125-89 against them. Hardaway Jr.'s -18 in 28 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/31 @ TOR 106-103 — DEN notes
DEN won 106-103. DEN shot 42% (34 of 80) to TOR's 37%, 10 of 34 from three, and went to the line 34 times to TOR's 21 — 28 points from the stripe to their 17. Watson led with 24 (9 of 19, 1 of 6 from three, 5 of 7 at the line); Murray added 21, Valančiūnas 17. The hinge was Q1, 32-23: from level to 9 ahead.
1/02 @ CLE 108-113 — DEN notes
DEN lost 108-113. DEN took 8 more shots (94 to 86), but shot 43% to CLE's 50%, 17 of 47 from three, and got to the line 13 times to CLE's 19. DEN turned it over 8 times to CLE's 16. The glass went 32-55 against them. Murray led with 34 (12 of 28, 6 of 12 from three); Watson added 21, Hardaway Jr. 15. Q3 was theirs, 38-26, turning a 3-point deficit into a 9-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 87-70 against them. They led by as many as 11. Hardaway Jr.'s -15 in 28 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/04 @ BKN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Brooklyn comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 114, shooting 45 percent and 33 from three, 27 free throws a game; Porter Jr. at 27 and Thomas at 21 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. Without Porter Jr. (2 straight), Saraf (9 straight), Etienne (10 straight). One day's rest. Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 126, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 26 free throws a game; Jokić at 37 and Murray at 27 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Jokić (2 straight), Braun (23 straight), Johnson (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Brooklyn allowing 114 a night to Denver's 126 and the turnovers, Brooklyn giving it away 15 times a game to Denver's 12. Call it Denver 117, Brooklyn 116, Brooklyn keeping it close.
1/05 @ PHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Philadelphia comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 120, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; Maxey at 32 and Embiid at 28 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Oubre Jr. (21 straight), Watford (16 straight). One day's rest. Denver comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 123, shooting 47 percent and 35 from three, 25 free throws a game; Murray at 25 and Watson at 19 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Jokić (3 straight), Johnson (6 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Philadelphia wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Philadelphia has been minus-1 a night and Denver minus-7. Call it Philadelphia 121, Denver 117, Denver keeping it close.
1/07 @ BOS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 111, shooting 48 percent and 38 from three, 18 free throws a game; Brown at 31 and White at 19 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has won the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest. Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 123, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 25 free throws a game; Murray at 26 and Watson at 21 a game. It has lost the glass by 10 a night. Without Jokić (4 straight), Johnson (7 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Boston has been plus-6 a night and Denver minus-10 and the defense, Boston allowing 111 a night to Denver's 123. Call it Boston 122, Denver 113.
1/09 vs ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 115, shooting 46 percent and 39 from three, 25 free throws a game; Murray at 26 and Watson at 24 a game. It has lost the glass by 11 a night. Without Jokić (5 straight), Johnson (8 straight). One day's rest. Atlanta comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 111, shooting 46 percent and 38 from three, 20 free throws a game; Johnson at 23 and Alexander-Walker at 19 a game. One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Atlanta has been minus-1 a night and Denver minus-11 and the turnovers, Atlanta giving it away 14 times a game to Denver's 10. Call it Denver 118, Atlanta 115, Atlanta 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
JA J. Allen
JT J. Tyson
LB L. Ball
NT N. Tomlin
DENBB B. Brown
DH D. Holmes II
JM J. Murray
JP J. Pickett
JS J. Strawther
PW P. Watson
SJ S. Jones
TH T. Hardaway Jr.
ZN Z. Nnaji
CLE/DEN 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
CLEVELAND -- — Donovan Mitchell scored 33 points and Darius Garland had 18 points and eight assists as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the short-handed Denver Nuggets 113-108 on Friday night.
De’Andre Hunter added 16 points and Jarrett Allen had eight points and 12 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who trailed 105-101 with 4:43 remaining before scoring 10 consecutive points. Garland’s 3-pointer put them ahead for good with 2:13 left.
Jamal Murray scored 28 of his 34 points in the first half for the Nuggets, who played their second game without superstar center Nikola Jokic . The three-time MVP hyperextended his left knee at Miami on Dec. 29 and will miss at least a month.
Peyton Watson had 21 points and Tim Hardaway Jr . scored 15, but missed eight of their nine shots in the fourth quarter as Denver was outscored 24-11. Murray also had six rebounds and seven assists, finishing 12 for 28 from the field.
Three additional Nuggets starters were inactive in forwards Aaron Gordon (right hamstring strain) and Cam Johnson (right knee soreness), and guard Christian Braun (left ankle sprain). Backup center Jonas Valanciunas (right calf strain) also is out for a month.
The Cavaliers took advantage of their absences, dominating the rebounding battle 55-32. Reigning Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley had eight points, 11 rebounds and three blocks, but missed all five of his free throws.
Mitchell, Garland, Mobley and Allen were all in the starting lineup for just the seventh time this season, winning for the fifth time. The Cavaliers have played an NBA-high 21 home games and are 13-8 at Rocket Arena.
Lonzo Ball saw his first action in three games for Cleveland, scoring six points in 15 minutes. Ball was taken out of the rotation in favor of Craig Porter Jr ., who had 10 points, six rebounds and five assists.