Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen each recorded double-doubles and the Cleveland Cavaliers led the visiting Los Angeles Clippers nearly wire-to-wire en route to a 127-122 win on Sunday.
Mitchell finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists for the Cavaliers. Allen scored a team-high 25 points, grabbed 12 boards and made a pair of steals. Evan Mobley added 22 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots.
Norman Powell of Los Angeles led all scorers with 34 points. James Harden added 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in the loss, the Clippers’ first three games into a four-game road swing.
Cleveland (60-15) secured just the third 60-plus-win regular season in franchise history behind big runs in both halves vs. Los Angeles. The Cavaliers went on a 16-0 burst in the first quarter, spanning almost four minutes, to open up a 17-point lead.
The Clippers (42-32) chipped away at the deficit, pulling within early in the third quarter. Cleveland responded with a 16-2 run.
Another Cavaliers answer to a Los Angeles threat came in the fourth quarter when the Clippers pulled to within eight points before Mitchell and Isaac Okoro connected on back-to-back 3-pointers.
Mitchell put his final stamp on the Cleveland win when, after a pair of Darius Garland free throws down the stretch pushed a three-point lead to five, Mitchell came away with his fourth steal.
Garland scored 19 points and shot 7-of-8 from the free-throw line, with his work at the charity stripe helping the Cavaliers keep the Clippers at arm’s length.
Los Angeles played without Kawhi Leonard for the first time since March 12, managing a knee injury. Leonard scored at least 23 points and posted three double-doubles over seven straight appearances between absences, and had 31 points and six rebounds on Friday in a rout of Brooklyn.
The Clippers also lost Amir Coffey early into Sunday’s contest after sustaining a knee injury during an on-court collision.
