Donovan Mitchell scored 33 points, Evan Mobley matched a season high with 29, and the Cleveland Cavaliers held off the Sacramento Kings 123–118 on Friday night, flashing the kind of late-game poise their coach has been searching for.
Cleveland won for the fourth time in its last five games and improved to 16–5 against teams with losing records, continuing an up-and-down season that has swung between contender-level play and frustrating inconsistency. That pattern showed up again against Sacramento, which erased an 11-point deficit and briefly took a 114–113 lead with four minutes remaining.
Mitchell answered in familiar fashion. The All-Star guard drilled a clutch 3-pointer with 2:29 left to put the Cavaliers back in front, 118–114, and Cleveland never trailed again. After the Kings missed three straight 3-point attempts in the final minute, Jaylon Tyson sealed the win with a floater with 25.6 seconds to play.
Mobley delivered one of his most complete performances of the season, adding 13 rebounds and seven assists to go along with his scoring. His two-way impact helped steady the Cavs down the stretch.
Domantas Sabonis led Sacramento with 24 points, 16 rebounds and six assists in his return to form after missing 25 games earlier this season with a knee injury. Dennis Schröder added 21 points and DeMar DeRozan chipped in 20, but the Kings dropped their fourth straight game to open a six-game road trip.
The Cavaliers jumped out to a 16–2 lead early, prompting Kings coach Doug Christie to pull all five starters in search of energy. The move paid off, as Sacramento rallied behind Schröder and Sabonis, who combined for 31 points, and took a 71–68 lead into halftime.
Cleveland again played without starting point guard Darius Garland, sidelined with a sprained toe and set to be re-evaluated next week.
Up next:
The Kings continue their road trip in Detroit on Sunday, while the Cavaliers travel to Orlando to face the Magic on Saturday.
