DENVER — Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson delivered a frank message to his team Monday night.
_Everything’s against us._
And yet, Cleveland punctuated its road trip with a 119-117 come-from-behind win against the Denver Nuggets on Monday night inside raucous Ball Arena. It’s the Cavaliers’ fourth straight win and ninth in the last 10 games. It’s also the second straight of the James Harden era.
Going into the game, Atkinson knew what Cleveland was up against.
Last game of a 12-day, five-city road trip. In the Denver altitude. Playing against a mostly healthy championship contender. The penultimate game before the All-Star break. Three-point underdogs — a fact Atkinson was keenly aware of before tipoff.
“I love these challenges,” Atkinson said pregame. “These are the fun games to me. How resilient are we? How tough are we? Can we pull one out?”
The Cavs did. Improbably.
After opening the game on a spirited 6-0 run, the Cavs lost control quickly. By the end of the first half, Denver had led for nearly 21 minutes.
Around the four-minute mark of the third quarter, Cleveland went back in front — for the first time since the opening minutes of the game — on a pair of Harden free throws.
It lasted 13 seconds.
Denver quickly responded with a 6-0 burst and after the two teams played even in the third quarter, the Nuggets took a five-point lead into the fourth.
Denver extended that advantage to 11 at the 10:01 mark, matching its largest lead of the night.
But the Cavs kept their composure. They pulled within four around the midway point of the fourth. Then cut it to two about 40 seconds later. The margin was one with 2:50 left, again at the 2:14 mark and then again with 1:40 remaining — until Harden’s patented step-back triple tied the game at 117 with about 30 seconds left.
After Nuggets reserve Tim Hardaway Jr. missed an open go-ahead 3, Donovan Mitchell was fouled with 0.9 left, hitting both free throws and giving Cleveland the lead for good.
Nikola Jokic had one last shot that didn’t draw iron.
Mitchell finished with a game-high 32 points. Harden had 22 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Jarrett Allen recorded his fourth consecutive double-double, tallying 22 points and 13 boards.
Cleveland was without usual starters Evan Mobley (calf strain) and Dean Wade (ankle) as well as Max Strus (offseason foot surgery).
The Nuggets, playing without Aaron Gordon (hamstring strain) and Peyton Watson (hamstring strain), got 22 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists from Jokic. Christian Braun and Julian Strawther had 20 points apiece.
There were only four lead changes and seven ties. The Cavs led for just 1:34. But that final second late in the fourth quarter was all that mattered on this night.
What a way to cap a whirlwind week and a half.
A franchise-altering trade for Harden. A separate deal to fortify the bench. Five games. Thousands of miles. Multiple time zones. Four victories.
All in all, an incredibly successful trip.
**Up next**
The Cavs will return home for the final game before the All-Star break, welcoming the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.