Donovan Mitchell poured in a game-high 29 points, the Cleveland Cavaliers used 13 first-half 3-pointers to build a big lead and the NBA’s hottest team won its sixth in a row, running away from the road-weary Sacramento Kings 136-110 on Monday night.
Max Strus used six 3-pointers in 10 attempts as the foundation for a 22-point night and combined with Mitchell for 11 treys, helping the Cavaliers equal their highest 3-pointer total of the season (23) en route to the comfortable win.
Domantas Sabonis recorded his 15th triple-double of the season, but it wasn’t enough for the Kings, who finished their road trip with a 5-2 mark. Sacramento had won its previous two games.
Mitchell shot 3-for-5 on 3-point attempts in the first half and had 19 points as the Cavaliers took the lead in the game’s eighth minute and never looked back.
Cleveland buried 13 of its 22 long-range attempts in the first half, taking a 74-59 lead into the break.
Despite Sabonis’ 12 points, game-high 19 rebounds and a season-high-tying 15 assists, the Kings never made much of a game of it over the final 24 minutes.
Mitchell finished 5-for-11 from beyond the arc.
Caris LeVert chipped in with three 3-pointers and 17 points off the bench, helping the Cavaliers go 23-for-41 (56.1 percent) from long range. The 23 threes matched the number Cleveland made against the Utah Jazz on Dec. 20.
Evan Mobley had a team-high 14 rebounds to go with 11 points and a team-high-tying seven assists for the Cavaliers, who outshot the visitors 58 percent to 46.2 percent overall. Jerome Allen aided the cause with 19 points, while Darius Garland scored 11 points and Isaac Okoro contributed 10.
Sam Merrill (three), Garland (two), Okoro (two) and Dean Wade (two) all contributed multiple 3-pointers to the big night.
Harrison Barnes paced the Kings with 22 points, while De’Aaron Fox went for 19, Malik Monk 18, and Keegan Murray and Kevin Huerter 10 apiece.
Barnes shot 6-for-10 from 3-point distance for the Kings, who were seeking a season-series sweep after having beaten the visiting Cavaliers 132-120 on Nov. 13.
–Field Level Media