sacramento kings

“The game of the night in the NBA is right here in downtown Cleveland,” Bally Sports play-by-play man John Michael declared prior to tipoff of the Cavaliers’ Feb. 5 matchup with the surging Sacramento Kings.

Heading into the game, the Kings had won six of their last seven, and were 5-1 on a seven-game roadtrip that concluded at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Meanwhile, the Cavs had won 13 of their last 14 games and 18 of their last 22 games, and were riding an eight-game home winning streak.

The first quarter seemed to portend a Monday-night shootout.

There were 14 first-quarter lead changes. The Cavs were 8 of 12 from 3-point range in the first period, while the Kings hit six 3-pointers. The Cavs led 39-34 after the first.

From that point on, it was clear that the Kings lacked the necessary firepower to hang with the Wine & Gold. That’s saying a lot, considering Sacramento had the top-ranked offense in the NBA last season, and the highest offensive rating in the history of the NBA.

The Cavs took a 74-59 lead at halftime, on the shoulders of Donovan Mitchell’s 19 first-half points. Max Strus chipped in nine points in the first half – all coming from 3-pointers.

The 74-point explosion was the Cavaliers’ highest first-half scoring output of the 2023-2024 season. At the break, the Cavs already had made 13 of 22 3-point attempts.

The onslaught continued in the second half.

Strus canned three more triples, finishing with 22 points and five rebounds. He was a scorching 6 of 10 from 3-point range.

The Kings cut the Cavs’ lead to 10 early in the fourth quarter. But the Cavs responded by reloading. With 10:07 left in the game, Evan Mobley overpowered a double-team in the paint to make it 108-96 Cavs. After the Cavaliers got a defensive stop, Dean Wade canned a 3-pointer on the next Cavs possession to make it 111-96.

The second of back-to-back triples from Caris LeVert made it 117-101 with 8:17 left to play.

Mitchell finished with a game-high 29 points.

Caris LeVert turned in another strong performance off the Cavaliers’ bench. The gluten-free LeVert had 17 points, six rebounds and seven assists.

Jarrett Allen had 19 points on a George Gervin-like 8 of 10 from the field. Evan Mobley finished with 11 points and 14 rebounds in his fourth game back from knee surgery.

Ultimately, the Cavaliers had seven players in double figures, including 11 each from Darius Garland and Isaac Okoro.

“When you get that many guys in double figures, that means the ball is moving at a rapid pace,” Austin Carr said on the Bally Sports telecast.

The Cavs were a torrid 23 of 41 from 3-point range. It was their 16th straight game with 12 or more 3-pointers – a franchise record.

The Cavaliers seem to be taking a huge step forward as a title contender. They’ve been handling their business against sub-.500 teams throughout the season. But lately, they’ve been getting the job done against some of the top teams in league, notching quality wins over Milwaukee, the Los Angeles Clippers and the Kings in recent weeks.

“I’m starting to feel a calmness about this team that I didn’t feel last year at this time,” Carr remarked. “They were jittery last year. Now this team plays with a confidence and a calmness that I didn’t see last season.”

With the 136-110 win over Sacramento, the Cavaliers vaulted into the No. 2 spot in the Eastern Conference standings on a percentage basis.