It wasn’t pretty, but the Cleveland Cavaliers did enough to win James Harden’s debut with the team. They defeated the hapless Sacramento Kings 132-126.
The Cavaliers’ starting lineup was understandably disjointed at the start of the game. Their four-guard unit featuring Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Sam Merrill, Jaylon Tyson, and Jarrett Allen struggled to clear the defensive glass or stay in front of their man on that end. Sacramento took advantage by getting off to a hot start offensively.
On the other
end, Mitchell and Harden seemed unsure of who should be in control on offense. Both seemed like they didn’t want to step on the other’s toes, which led to a somewhat disjointed and stagnant offensive attack.
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Sacramento pushed its lead to double figures in the middle of the first quarter, before the Cavs got back into the game with bench lineups featuring one of Mitchell or Harden on the court.
The Cavs took a narrow two-point lead into the break, but then gave it all away at the start of the third quarter, leading to the Kings to regain their double-digit lead.
Mitchell took over from there. His 12 third-quarter points helped keep the Cavs within reach heading into the fourth.
It seemed like things were getting away from the Cavs after a back-and-forth start to the fourth. The Kings grabbed a seven-point lead with just under four minutes left in the fourth quarter, before the Cavs roared back.
Two points from Allen and back-to-back threes from Harden gave the Cavs a one-point lead with just over two minutes left.
The Kings didn’t go away. DeMar DeRozan hit a big three to tie the game with just over 42 seconds left.
Mitchell then forced a foul on the following possession and hit both free throws to give the Cavs the lead. The Kings missed their final three shots, allowing the Cavs to come away with the win.
For as awkward as the Mitchell and Harden fit looked in the first three quarters, they looked good together down the stretch. The duo combined for 32 of the team’s 39 points in the final frame to pull out the victory.
It wasn’t the prettiest debut for Harden, but you could see how he can help this team, particularly down the stretch. His ability to get Allen easy looks and the gravity he possesses offensively are going to be incredibly useful. Harden played his best in the fourth quarter with the game on the line. He poured in 15 points in the fourth quarter.
On the night, Harden provided 23 points on 7-13 shooting, which included going 5-8 from three, to go along with eight assists and two rebounds.
Mitchell carried the Cavs to the finish line. He scored 17 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter.
Allen also had a strong game. He provided 29 points on 11-12 shooting with 10 rebounds.
The Kings were led by 30 points on 12-19 shooting from Nique Clifford. Westbrook supplied 21 points and nine assists.
The Cavaliers have now won three-straight games and eight of their last nine. This includes going 3-1 so far on their Western Conference road trip.
The Cavs will face the Denver Nuggets on the last leg of their trip. They’ll face off on Monday at 9 PM.
