Donovan Mitchell leads Cleveland Cavaliers over the Indiana Pacers, Oklahoma City Thunder beat Philadelphia 76ers

INDIANA – Donovan Mitchell is the Cleveland Cavaliers’ star man and he was not going to let them down.

On Jan 14, the Cavs, fuelled by his 35 points, beat the Indiana Pacers 127-117 on the road and avenged a Jan 12 defeat while pushing their National Basketball Association (NBA)-best record to 34-5.

Just days after the Pacers ended Cleveland’s 12-game winning streak – handing them just their second home loss of the season – the Cavs travelled to Indianapolis and halted Indiana’s six-game victorious run.

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

The Pacers briefly grabbed a two-point lead early in the second quarter and trailed by just one at half-time, but the Cavs outscored them 38-28 in the third to take control.

Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said it was the response he was looking for after the Jan 12 defeat.

“It was a play-off-type response,” he 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.”

Pascal Siakam led Indiana 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.

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

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 Jan 16 in a clash of teams with the best records in the league.

Western Conference leaders Oklahoma City, meanwhile, 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 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.

He also made seven of his eight free-throw attempts, had three rebounds and handed out nine assists as the Thunder cruised past a Sixers team missing not only injured centre 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.

Elsewhere, 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.

On Jan 12, they rallied from a 19-point third-quarter deficit to win but on Jan 14, Denver took control early on with 19 first-quarter points from Murray as they registered a fourth straight win.

Daniel Gafford led the Mavericks with 13 points off the bench and Kyrie Irving scored 11 on his return from a back sprain that sidelined him for five games.

Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo delivered a 33-point triple-double, adding 11 rebounds and 13 assists as the Bucks snapped the Sacramento Kings’ seven-game winning streak with a 130-115 home victory.

The Bucks, coming off a lopsided loss to the New York Knicks, scored 47 points in the first quarter and never trailed, leading by as many as 28 points.

In Atlanta, Trae Young scored 43 points to propel the Hawks to a 122-117 victory over the Phoenix Suns. AFP