Donovan Mitchell and James Harden combined to score Cleveland’s final 16 points, and the Cavaliers sent the host Sacramento Kings to their 12th consecutive loss with a 132-126 decision on Saturday.
Harden endured a slow offensive start in his debut with Cleveland, having been traded on Tuesday from the Los Angeles Clippers. The former NBA Most Valuable Player came alive down the stretch, however, helping set off a game-ending 18-5 run when he sank 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions.
Harden finished with 23 points while Mitchell went for a game-high 35 points, with the duo teaming up to go 8 of 8 at the free-throw line in the final 1:46.
The newly formed All-Star perimeter duo went 11 of 11 at the charity stripe overall, and Cleveland finished 29 of 32 at the line. That included Jarrett Allen’s 7-of-8 performance to go along with a sensational 11-of-12 shooting from the floor.
Allen scored 29 points – his third-highest output of the season, coming just six days after he went for 40 points at Portland – and grabbed 10 rebounds for his third double-double in as many contests.
The trio powered Cleveland to its strong finish, closing out a back-and-forth affair against a Kings team that came in desperate for a win. The two sides exchanged the lead 17 times from the second through fourth quarters.
Sacramento nearly rode its hot 3-point shooting to the win, going 16 of 37 from deep to Cleveland’s 11 of 35. Rookie Nique Clifford knocked down 5 of 9 from beyond the arc on his way to a career-high 30 points, cruising past his previous best of 18.
Russell Westbrook shot 5 of 10 from 3-point range on the way to 21 points. The two led seven Kings scoring in double figures, which included Devin Carter’s 18 points and 12 for fellow reserve Dylan Cardwell.
Cardwell also grabbed 11 rebounds — four on the offensive end — to help the Kings to a 27-16 advantage in second-chance points.
