Cleveland Cavaliers bounced back from just their second defeat of the season as they beat Indiana 127-117, snapping the Pacers’ six-game win streak.
The Cavs, who saw a run of 12 straight victories end on Sunday against the Pacers, made the perfect response partly thanks to Donovan Mitchell’s 35-point display.
Mitchell set the tone by scoring 19 points in the first quarter before Indiana briefly grabbed a two-point lead early in the second quarter and trailed by just one at half-time.
But then the Cavaliers outscored the Pacers 38-28 in the third to take control, with Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson delighted with the response shown by his side.
“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.”
.@spidadmitchell was in special form tonight 🤩
He helps the @cavs even the season series against Indiana! pic.twitter.com/dQPbF509xB
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 15, 2025
📰 Table Of Contents
Milwaukee Bucks 130-115 Sacramento Kings
Giannis Antetokounmpo logged 30 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds for his 50th career triple-double as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Sacramento Kings and snap their seven-game win streak.
Antetokounmpo led the way with his fifth triple-double of the season as the Bucks secured a comfortable 130-115 victory as they returned to winning ways following defeat against the New York Knicks.
Meanwhile, Damian Lillard collected 24 points, Brook Lopez scored 21 and A.J. Green hit 16 for the Bucks, who never trailed and led by as many as 28 in a dominant display.
DeMar DeRozan scored 28, with De’Aaron Fox logging 20 and Keon Ellis 16 for the Sacramento Kings.
Philadelphia 76ers 102-118 Oklahoma City Thunder
Western Conference leaders Oklahoma City Thunder pushed their record to 33-6 with a tense 118-102 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.
Gilgeous-Alexander made seven of his eight free-throw attempts, grabbed three rebounds and handed out nine assists as Thunder cruised past a Sixers team missing not only injured centre Joel Embiid but also Paul George and Tyrese Maxey.
Dallas Mavericks 99-118 Denver Nuggets
Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic starred as the Denver Nuggets secured a 118-99 victory over the depleted Dallas Mavericks.
Murray scored 45 points and NBA MVP 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.
