CLEVELAND, Ohio — After the Browns handled their business in Las Vegas, downtown Cleveland moved through a rare kind of Sunday glow. And when the Cavs took the floor at Rocket Arena, they extended the city’s good mood with a performance that felt as authoritative as it was joyful with a 120-105 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Cleveland ends its six-game homestand, 4-2.
The Clippers delivered the first punch, sprinting to an eight-point lead, but Cleveland struck the match that burned through the rest of the night. Once the fuse lit, Los Angeles spent the next three quarters trying to stomp out sparks that kept returning.
The Cavs’ short-handed rotation should have been the story. No Lonzo Ball. No Jarrett Allen. No Craig Porter Jr. No Sam Merrill. No Max Strus. Kenny Atkinson didn’t lean on excuses. He leaned on his depth.
Tyrese Proctor and Nae’Qwan Tomlin rewarded him with the type of energy that swings a game early. They entered during that shaky opening stretch and helped steady Cleveland’s tempo, combining with Donovan Mitchell for 18 of the team’s 27 first-quarter points. For a group missing so many ballhandling and shooting options, the youngsters’ presence was a breath of fresh air.
Mitchell then took the second quarter and shaped it in his own rhythm. He went a perfect 4 for 4 for nine points and played with a command that quieted every Clippers run. The 37 points he finished with spoke loudly enough, but his fingerprints on every part of the game are what made Cleveland feel connected rather than dependent.
He found Evan Mobley for multiple lobs before the defense could organize. He kept looking for Dean Wade even when the shots refused to drop. When one finally splashed, Mitchell let out a grin and pointed at Wade on his way back down the floor, a small moment signaling trust that doesn’t disappear when the rotation is stretched thin.
He also pulled down eight rebounds, a number recently that has become more common than expected from a 6-foot-3 guard. That willingness has carried added weight without Allen. Mitchell understood the vacuum on the interior and filled part of it by ending possessions, crashing from the wings and absorbing hits that would normally fall to a center.
Every night the Cavs have asked something slightly different of him, and each night he has filled that space with exactly what they needed.
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Mobley, meanwhile, fought through an off-kilter offensive performance by influencing the game in other areas. His movement in transition forced the Clippers’ bigs to exert more energy than desired. His length on the back line patched over cracks when the Clippers attacked the rim. The 24-year-old finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks and two steals.
Even though Cleveland was outmatched in the paint, it didn’t feel overwhelming. They actually won the rebounding battle 41-40, despite Ivica Zubac’s efforts.
Zubac finished with 33 points and 16 rebounds. The gap on the baords didn’t feel devastating because the collective rebounding effort stayed committed possession after possession. Tomlin, Proctor, Jaylon Tyson, De’Andre Hunter, Wade, Mitchell and Mobley all chipped in just enough to keep the battle manageable.
The defense sharpened as the game aged.
Atkinson leaned into a familiar tactical pattern that has plagued Cleveland in the past. Whenever the Clippers rolled with only one star, particularly James Harden, Cleveland blitzed with precision, sending traffic at his right hand and forcing early decisions. Harden broke loose early, scoring 10 points on nine first-quarter attempts. Once the Cavs increased their coverages and showed him multiple bodies, his rhythm slowed. He took only one shot in the second quarter and scored two points, finishing with 19 points on 16 shots.
When Kawhi Leonard returned, the coverages changed. Hunter drew the primary assignment and held his own through strength, positioning and a strong chest. Cleveland sent the occasional helper but trusted Hunter to absorb those isolations. Harden never re-discovered his start, and Leonard never found enough space to alter the momentum.
By the time Cleveland pushed its lead to 18 in the fourth quarter, the Clippers looked like a team on the second night of a back-to-back. Their legs gave way. Their drives flattened out. Their closeouts lagged behind the ball.
For the Cavs, this night mattered for reasons beyond the win column. It showed how they’ve begun to increase their viable ballhandling options for the playoffs, an area where they struggled against the pressure of last postseason.
It showed that they have more options to score consistently within the flow of the offense, going through their star — who keeps answering every version of the question the game presents.
On a Sunday that already carried good energy for the city, the Cavs added their own spark. They took a slow start and a short-handed roster, turning it into a showcase of depth and intention.
By the final horn, the fans walking back into the cold had every reason to believe the city’s week could start on a high note.
Up Next
The Cavs travel to Toronto to face the Raptors in the second night of a back-to-back on Monday night with tipoff set for 7 p.m. Eastern on Peacock.
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