James Harden makes mark in Cavs’ debut, helping Cleveland rally from behind in 132-126 win
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — It didn’t take James Harden long to make his mark.
Harden and the Cavs rallied in the fourth quarter to escape with a 132-126 win over the crumbling Sacramento Kings on Saturday night. It’s Cleveland’s third straight victory and eighth in the last nine games.
“We have a confidence about us now,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said. “There’s no panic. Reminded me of last year where we were just kind of calm, in the moment. They were making incredible shots and played great, but we kept our calm. Helps when you have James Harden and Donovan Mitchell to help close a game like that.”
It was a shaky start — for Harden and the Cavs.
While waiting for the pre-deadline blockbuster trade to officially go through, Harden was unable to practice with his new team. Early on, he was trying to find his way. Same with the Cavs who went down 15-8 in the first four-plus minutes, causing Atkinson to call the first timeout of the game.
Cleveland trailed 31-25 after one quarter.
But it opened the second on an energetic 15-2 run, led by former Kings Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis — part of the other deadline deal that has fortified this championship hopeful roster.
“They just wreak havoc,” Donovan Mitchell said of that second unit. “That’s a special group. Our young guys have been doing it all year and now you add two new guys in Keon and Dennis, it’s big time.”
By the end of those turnaround 12 minutes, the Cavs had outscored Sacramento, 32-24, taking a two-point lead into the halftime locker room.
The third quarter started a lot like the first, with Cleveland looking out of sync on offense and unable to get stops consistently at the other end. The Kings, who entered the night on an 11-game losing streak, were back in front by double digits at the 4:56 mark.
That’s when the Cavaliers’ rebuilt bench ignited another late-quarter run, erasing that deficit and temporarily reclaiming the advantage about two minutes later — part of an 11-0 burst.
Despite that, Cleveland trailed by three going into the fourth quarter.
First, it was Mitchell’s turn.
He poured in Cleveland’s first 11 points of the final period.
Next, came Harden who checked back in with around eight minutes left and the Cavs trailing by two.
Moments after replacing Mitchell so the team leader could get a brief respite, Harden’s transition triple put Cleveland ahead by one.
Only the young, feisty Kings wouldn’t go away, taking a two-point lead with 4:48 left and then extending it to seven — until Cleveland responded with an 8-0 run that was punctuated by a wide-open go-ahead 3 from Harden.
As Golden 1 Center groaned, Harden roared and Cleveland’s bench mimicked his signature celebration — a “stirring the pot” gesture adopted years ago.
Harden was cooking.
But Sacramento pulled back even with 42.5 seconds left on DeMar DeRozan’s clutch 3.
Mitchell answered — again — with a forceful drive that earned him two free throws. He made both. And then Harden closed out the W at the free-throw line.
Harden, who missed his first three shots of the night, finished with 23 points, 15 of which came in the fourth quarter, on 7 of 13 shooting to go with eight assists in 32 minutes.
“I just have to figure it out, figure out where I fit in,” Harden admitted. “But it won’t be that hard at all. I was just like, ‘Do what y’all do and I will figure it out. I’m good enough to figure it out and insert myself in.’”
By the fourth quarter, he did.
Harden, acquired from Los Angeles in exchange for fan favorite Darius Garland and a future second-round pick, made every shot he took in the fourth — four field goals, a trio of triples and four more freebies.
A vintage closing stretch.
“Made all the big plays,” Atkinson said of Harden. “He was the closer. Him and Donovan really synched up at the end to make the big plays.”
Mitchell led the way, finishing with 35 points, including 17 in the fourth quarter.
In all, Cleveland’s co-stars combined for 32 of the team’s 39 in the fourth.
According to Elias Sports Bureau, Mitchell and Harden became the first Cavs teammates to each score at least 15 points in the fourth quarter of any game in the play-by-play era (since 1996-97).
Jarrett Allen added 29 points and 10 rebounds.
The Kings were led by youngster Nique Clifford who had 30 points. Six others reached double figures.
It might not have been exactly what Cleveland envisioned on Tuesday, when putting the finishing touches on the widely reported franchise-altering trade. But late in the game, when it mattered most, Mitchell and Harden showed a glimpse of what they can become.
Together.
“It’s going to be a work in progress but saw a lot of things that were positive,” Mitchell said. “We just know in the back of our heads, we really had no time to work on nothing. We were just out there playing. Not bad. We will get better.”
Up next
The Cavs will wrap up this road trip on Monday night against the Denver Nuggets. Tipoff is set for 9 p.m.
