Mitchell, Cavaliers regain winning form

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — The Cleveland Cavaliers, fueled by 35 points from Donovan Mitchell, beat the Indiana Pacers, 127-117, on Tuesday, avenging a Sunday defeat and pushing their National Basketball Association (NBA)-best record to 34-5.

Three days after the Pacers ended their 12-game winning streak — handing the Cavs just their second home loss of the season — Cleveland traveled to Indianapolis and halted the Pacers’ six-game win streak.

Mitchell set an early tone, scoring 19 points in the first quarter.

Indiana briefly grabbed a two-point lead early in the second quarter and trailed by just one at halftime, but the Cavaliers outscored the Pacers, 38-28, in the third to take control.

Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 23 points. Bennedict Mathurin added 19 before he was ejected late in the fourth quarter after receiving his second technical foul for bumping into an official as he disputed a call.

He received his first technical for hanging on the rim after a stunning dunk in the second quarter.

Seven Pacers players scored in double figures, but with star Tyrese Haliburton sidelined by a groin injury, it wasn’t enough.

Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said it was the response he was looking for after Sunday’s defeat.

“It was a playoff-type response,” Atkinson said.

“You get knocked in the teeth, punched in the mouth, and we responded.”

“Really, Donovan set the tone. It was one of those nights where he wasn’t going to let us lose.”

Cleveland’s Evan Mobley scored 13 of his 22 points in the decisive third period and Darius Garland added 24 for the Cavs, who will face the Thunder in Oklahoma City on Thursday in a clash of teams with the best records in the league.

Western Conference leaders Oklahoma City pushed their record to 33-6 with a 118-102 wire-to-wire victory over the injury-depleted 76ers in Philadelphia.

Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who endured a poor shooting night in Sunday’s win over the lowly Washington Wizards, made all eight of his shot attempts in the first half and finished an efficient 12-of-15 from the floor on the way to 32 points.

Gilgeous-Alexander made seven of his eight free-throw attempts, grabbed three rebounds and handed out nine assists as the Thunder cruised past a Sixers team missing not only injured center Joel Embiid but also Paul George and Tyrese Maxey.

“I just tried to be aggressive, tried to set the tone,” Gilgeous-Alexander said after Oklahoma City notched their 18th win in their last 19 regular-season games.

Embiid, who has played in just 13 games this season, remained sidelined by a sprained foot. Maxey was ruled out with a hand injury while George was a late scratch with a sore right ankle.

Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic led the Denver Nuggets to a 118-99 victory over the short-handed Mavericks in Dallas.

Murray scored 45 points and NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic notched a triple-double of 10 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists for the Nuggets, who beat the Mavs for the second time in three days.