Cavaliers Trail Blazers Basketball
Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson, left, drives to the basket past Cleveland Cavaliers forward De'Andre Hunter during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Portland, Ore., Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer)AP
PORTLAND, Ore. — It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.
The Cavs capped their lengthy road trip with a second straight win, 122-111, over the Portland Trail Blazers. It’s Cleveland’s 28th win away from home this season — the most in a single season in franchise history.
At one point during this five-city, 10-day trek that covered thousands of miles and multiple time zones, the Cavs were mired in their worst stretch of the season.
The grumbles could be heard all the way on the West Coast.
A four-game losing streak. Lousy defense. Shooting woes. Heavy legs. The Cavs looked vulnerable, nothing like the Eastern Conference leaders.
But coach Kenny Atkinson didn’t overreact. Neither did the guys in that locker room. They took a long look in the mirror, were honest about their flaws, addressed them and finished the hellacious — a descriptor Atkinson used — trip the right way.
The Blazers, starting to fade late in the season and fighting for their postseason lives, opened the game with a sense of desperation, as the two teams went back and forth throughout the first quarter. There were seven lead changes and four ties, the game played within two possessions the entire quarter.
But Cleveland scored the first points of the second quarter — a Max Strus bucket at the 11:39 mark. It didn’t relinquish the lead the rest of the night, staying in front for the final 35-plus minutes and showing the kind of killer instinct that had vacillated over the last few weeks.
The young, feisty Blazers cut the lead to one multiple times in the third quarter. But Cleveland responded to each run, taking a six-point advantage into the fourth quarter — and then outscored Portland 30-25 to close out the triumph.
All-Star point guard Darius Garland, who has labeled this “revenge” season after his struggles a year ago, scored a game-high 27 points to go with eight assists and five rebounds in 33 minutes. Backup floor general Ty Jerome chipped in with 25 off the bench while Evan Mobley added 21 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and four blocks in 33 dominant minutes.
Jarrett Allen (14 points), Sam Merrill (14) and De’Andre Hunter (11) also reached double figures.
Merrill made his third straight start of the season, stepping in for star guard Donovan Mitchell who returned to Cleveland a few days early for injury management related to his sore groin.
Last season, a Mitchell absence might’ve been a death knell to Cleveland’s chances. Not anymore. These Cavs have learned to stand on their own without him. They don’t have just one All-Star. They have three. And the other two — Garland and Mobley — had their fingerprints all over Tuesday’s win.
The late-night flight back home to Cleveland will be much more jovial than it seemed like just a few days ago.
Up next
The Cavs will return home for a matchup with the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.