Harden, Mitchell Power Cavaliers Past Kings in Fourth-Quarter Comeback
SACRAMENTO - James Harden didn’t waste any time making an impact in his Cavaliers debut - and neither did Donovan Mitchell when it mattered most.
In just his first game with Cleveland, Harden helped spark a furious fourth-quarter rally as the Cavs outlasted the Sacramento Kings, 132-126, on Saturday night. It marked Cleveland’s third straight win and eighth in their last nine games - and perhaps the most dramatic of the bunch.
Let’s be clear: this one didn’t start pretty. Harden, still waiting for the final paperwork on the pre-deadline blockbuster to clear, hadn’t practiced with his new team.
That lack of rhythm showed early. Cleveland came out flat, falling behind 15-8 in the first four minutes, prompting head coach Kenny Atkinson to call an early timeout.
The Cavs trailed 31-25 after one quarter, and the offense looked out of sync. But credit the bench - and a couple of familiar faces in Sacramento - for flipping the script.
Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis, both former Kings and part of a separate trade-deadline deal, brought a jolt of energy in the second quarter. Cleveland opened the frame on a 15-2 run, using that spark to outscore the Kings 32-24 and take a narrow lead into halftime.
Still, Sacramento - despite riding an 11-game losing streak - wasn’t going to roll over. The Kings came out of the break with renewed intensity, capitalizing on Cleveland’s defensive lapses and regaining a double-digit lead midway through the third.
But the Cavs’ revamped bench wasn’t done. Another late-quarter surge, this one an 11-0 run, erased the deficit and briefly gave Cleveland the lead again. Even with that push, the Cavs entered the fourth trailing by three.
That’s when the stars took over.
Mitchell opened the fourth quarter with 11 straight points for Cleveland, attacking the rim and drawing contact with relentless aggression. Then, with about eight minutes to play and the Cavs down two, Harden checked back in - and immediately made his presence felt.
His transition three-pointer gave Cleveland a one-point lead. But Sacramento, led by an impressive 30-point night from rookie Nique Clifford, kept punching back. The Kings built a seven-point cushion with under five minutes to go, threatening to steal a game they had controlled for long stretches.
That’s when the Cavs responded with championship-caliber poise.
An 8-0 Cleveland run, capped by a wide-open go-ahead three from Harden, turned the tide again. Sacramento tied it up at 126 with just 42.5 seconds left on a clutch triple from DeMar DeRozan.
But Mitchell - who had been the engine all night - attacked the lane on the next possession, drew contact, and calmly sank both free throws to put Cleveland back in front. Harden then sealed the win at the line, closing out a fourth quarter that showed exactly why the Cavs went all-in at the deadline.
Harden finished with 23 points, including 15 in the final period, on 7-of-13 shooting. He added eight assists in 32 minutes - a strong debut, especially given the lack of practice time and early rust.
Mitchell was sensational, pouring in 35 points with 17 coming in the fourth alone. He was the tone-setter, the closer, and everything in between.
Jarrett Allen added a monster night of his own with 29 points and 10 rebounds, providing the interior presence Cleveland needed in a back-and-forth battle.
For Sacramento, Clifford’s breakout performance led a balanced effort that saw six players score in double figures. But even with the home crowd behind them and a late lead in hand, the Kings couldn’t hold off the Cavs’ late-game surge.
It wasn’t always clean. It wasn’t always cohesive.
But in the fourth quarter - when things got tight - Cleveland’s new-look roster showed flashes of what it could become. With Harden and Mitchell sharing the floor, the Cavs have a duo capable of closing games in a way few teams can match.
And if this is just the beginning? The rest of the East might want to take notice.