Donovan Mitchell, James Harden clutch late as Cavs punctuate road trip with 119-117 win over Nuggets

DENVER — Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson delivered a frank message to his team Monday night.

Everything’s against us.

And yet, Cleveland punctuated its road trip with a 119-117 come-from-behind win against the Denver Nuggets inside raucous Ball Arena. It’s the Cavaliers’ fourth straight win and ninth in the last 10 games. It’s also the second straight of the James Harden era.

“We just stuck with it,” Atkinson said afterward. “It wasn’t going our way, but we had great spirit and togetherness and we had a belief, even when we were down, that we were doing the right things. Our end of game execution was pretty much perfect. That’s how you steal a game like that.”

Going into the game, Atkinson knew what Cleveland was up against.

Last game of an exhausting 12-day, five-city road trip. In the Denver altitude. Playing against a mostly healthy championship contender. The penultimate game before the All-Star break. Three-point underdogs — a fact Atkinson was keenly aware of before tipoff.

“I love these challenges,” Atkinson said pregame. “These are the fun games to me. How resilient are we? How tough are we? Can we pull one out?”

The Cavs did. Improbably.

After opening the game on a spirited and energetic 6-0 run, the Cavs lost control quickly. By the end of the first half, Denver had led for nearly 21 minutes.

Playing from behind, fighting an uphill battle, Cleveland finally went back in front around the four-minute mark of the third quarter — its first lead since the opening minutes of the game — on a pair of Harden free throws.

It lasted 13 seconds.

Denver quickly responded with a 6-0 burst and after the two teams played even in the third quarter, the Nuggets took a five-point lead into the fourth.

They extended that advantage to 11 at the 10:01 mark, matching their largest lead of the night.

But the Cavs kept their composure and stayed connected. They pulled within four around the midway point of the fourth. Then cut it to two about 40 seconds later. The margin was one with 2:50 left, again at the 2:14 mark and then again with 1:40 remaining — until Harden’s patented step-back triple tied the game at 117 with about 30 seconds left.

After Nuggets reserve Tim Hardaway Jr. missed an open go-ahead 3 off Nikola Jokic’s bullet pass and Jarrett Allen corralled the rebound, Atkinson contemplated calling timeout.

He didn’t. He trusted his team and allowed star guard Donovan Mitchell to attack.

“We go in those situations,” Atkinson said. “It was borderline. There were 6 seconds. I saw Don got it in his hand, in the flow, and you just have a much better chance to score if you don’t call the timeout.”

Pushing the ball up the floor quickly, with the Nuggets on their heels, unable to match up in transition, Mitchell attacked and drew a foul with 0.9 left.

“He had real patience and let the court spread,” Atkinson explained. “I was afraid he was going to shoot the pull-up 3, but he put his head down and got to the line.”

Mitchell hit both free throws, giving Cleveland just its third lead all game.

It was the last one it needed.

Taking the inbounds, Jokic had a final prayer that went unanswered. He couldn’t even draw iron.

Cleveland scored on seven of its last eight offensive possessions and outscored the surgical Nuggets, 32-25, in the fourth quarter.

As the buzzer sounded, Cavs players stormed the court — like a college team that had just pulled a massive upset. This wasn’t just another February game. This wasn’t just another win.

“It’s a mental approach, finding ways,” Mitchell said. “We had been saying it all game — that we were right there. It’s a testament to who we have on the team and what we have going. We’re just hooping on vibes right now.”

Mitchell finished with a game-high 32 points to go with 10 assists. Harden had 22 points, including six in the fourth quarter. He also added 10 rebounds and seven assists. Allen recorded his fourth consecutive double-double, tallying 22 points and 13 boards while pestering Jokic throughout.

“J.A. made it tough and he was big in big moments,” Mitchell said of Allen. “Then on top of that, he is sprinting the floor, getting layups, in the pocket, making reads, hitting his floaters. He has been unreal the past week, week and a half, two weeks, whatever it has been. Adding James to the mix is going to continue to allow him to be great.”

Cleveland was without usual starters Evan Mobley (calf strain) and Dean Wade (ankle) as well as Max Strus (offseason foot surgery). Jaylon Tyson, listed as questionable going into the night and battling a sore ankle, had 16 points and drilled a pair of timely triples during the comeback.

The Nuggets, playing without Aaron Gordon (hamstring strain) and Peyton Watson (hamstring strain), got 22 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists from Jokic. Christian Braun and Julian Strawther had 20 points apiece.

There were only four lead changes and seven ties. Denver was ahead for nearly 43 minutes while the Cavs led for just 1:34. Not even a full second in the fourth.

But 0.9 is all they needed Monday night, capping a whirlwind week and a half.

A franchise-altering trade for Harden. A separate deal to fortify the bench. Five games. Thousands of miles. Multiple time zones. Four victories. Only one setback.

All in all, a successful — and perhaps watershed — trip.

Up next

The Cavs will return home for the final game before the All-Star break, welcoming the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.