Cleveland Cavaliers survive LA Clippers late surge to win 127-122

Behind a great offensive and defensive showing, the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the LA Clippers 127-122. But the Clippers did not go down without a fight, cutting the Cavs’ lead to three points late in the fourth quarter. 

The Cavs entered the fourth with a 105-88 lead. After being outscored 34-22 in the quarter, they ended the game ahead by five. 

The Clippers were able to cut the 17-point deficit because of Norman Powell, who finished the game with 34 points, stepping up yet again to score seven fourth-quarter points by attacking the basket and knocking down a 3. 

Ivica Zubac was also valuable for the Clippers in the paint, scoring six points in the frame. And with the Cavs struggling to score outside of Donovan Mitchell early in the quarter, the Cavs’ lead was shortened to 13. 

However, it was not the paint scoring that cut the deficit even further, but the 3-point shooting. 

Kris Dunn and Derrick Jones Jr. each knocked down two 3s for the Clippers to help put them down four with 30.1 seconds left. Two free throws by James Harden put them down three. 

Darius Garland, though, knocked down his free throws near the end of the game, and Mitchell stole the ball to seal the Cavs’ victory, which should have been by a much larger margin due to their defensive success. 

The Cavs’ defense was able to prevent the Clippers from having the lead for most of the game with 11 steals; they forced the Clippers into 14 turnovers that turned into 15 points for them.

This is because the game started with the Cavs having the momentum and showing no signs of slowing down. Their two big men, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, were keys to their offensive success throughout the game. 

With their teammates consistently feeding them the ball in the paint – and their ability to create shots – Allen finished with 25 points and Mobley finished with 22. 

They combined to score 11 of the team’s 37 first-quarter points, and with Mitchell finding a rhythm and scoring seven points in the final 3:38, the Clippers found themselves down 12 heading into the second quarter. 

However, hope was not lost for the Clippers when the Cavs started the second struggling. A turnover and two missed 3s kept them scoreless for almost the first two minutes. 

Meanwhile, Powell scored 20 points for the Clippers in the quarter, knocking down four 3-pointers. His dominance, along with scoring from Harden and other teammates, led the Clippers to outscore the Cavs 39-31. 

But by knocking down four 3s – two from Isaac Okoro off the bench – and being able to feed Allen again, the Cavs were able to maintain a four-point lead at the end of the quarter.

And while Allen was crucial in the second, it was Mobley who was crucial in the third quarter, scoring 15 of his 22 points by getting in the paint, making a free throw and knocking down 3s. Their defense was able to hold Powell to three points on 1 for 5 shooting in the frame. 

This caused the Clippers to score only 16 points with 3:25 left in the quarter. They only scored eight more in the remaining minutes with the Cavs having five steals during the quarter. 

Mobley was stopped in the fourth, however, being held to zero points. The Cavs’ offense struggled, but Mitchell stepped up to score six points, and Garland was able to capitalize on free throws to help him score nine.