Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points and Evan Mobley added 28 points, 13 rebounds and three steals to help the Cleveland Cavaliers notch an easy 118-107 victory over the host New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night.
Jarrett Allen contributed 20 points and 11 rebounds as Cleveland won its fifth straight game and recorded its 26th double-digit victory of the campaign. Caris LeVert added 13 points, matched his season best of nine assists and grabbed six rebounds, while Darius Garland had 11 points and seven assists for the Cavaliers.
Brandon Ingram registered 25 points and eight assists, but the Pelicans had their three-game winning streak snapped. Trey Murphy III scored 17 points, CJ McCollum added 12 and Herbert Jones and Larry Nance Jr. tallied 11 apiece.
New Orleans star Zion Williamson (hamstring) missed his 20th consecutive game. Williamson will also miss the Pelicans’ final two games before the upcoming All-Star break.
Mitchell connected on 12 of 21 shots after missing one game with a groin injury. Garland (thumb) also returned after a one-game absence.
Cleveland shot 56.5 percent from the field, including 10 of 28 from 3-point range.
The Pelicans made 47.6 percent of their shots and were 9 of 24 from behind the arc while losing for the 16th time in their past 22 games.
New Orleans trailed by as many as 25 points late in the third quarter but used a 15-4 run to creep within 105-91 with 10:03 to play before Cleveland quickly responded to the charge.
LeVert buried a 3-pointer, Allen scored on the inside and Mitchell hit an outside shot to make it a 21-point margin with 7:54 remaining as the Cavaliers swept the regular-season series with the Pelicans.
Mitchell scored 14 points in the opening quarter as the Cavaliers scooted to a 38-28 lead.
Cleveland stretched its lead to 58-36 on two free throws by Mitchell with 6:44 left in the half. It was 73-56 at the break as Mitchell had 21 points, Mobley added 18 points and 10 rebounds and the Cavaliers shot 61.7 percent from the field.
Ingram had 13 in the half for New Orleans.
LeVert drained a 3-pointer to give the Cavaliers a 25-point lead with 1:25 left in the third quarter before New Orleans scored the last six points to trail 101-82 entering the final stanza.
–Field Level Media
