Donovan Mitchell leads Cavaliers to 120-105 win over Clippers at Rocket Arena

CLEVELAND — Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said star guard Donovan Mitchell is in the "money spot of his career." The six-time All-Star had perhaps his best game of the season Sunday when he scored a game-high 37 points and had eight rebounds and six assists in Cleveland's 120-105 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers at Rocket Arena. "Is there any guard playing as well as him in the league?" Atkinson said. "His passing was phenomenal. He's in a great place. He has a great demeanor. He's in control of everything. He's in a great, great place." Mitchell connected on 14 of 22 shots from the field and 5 of 9 from the 3-point line. Mitchell has 724 3-pointers to move past Kyrie Irving's 723 for fifth on the Cavs' all-time list. He said it might be the best basketball he's played in his career. "I would say so," Mitchell said. "I'm in a different place in my career. I'm seeing things differently. I'm efficient. I'm trying to get better as a playmaker." Center Evan Mobley finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks, but was badly outplayed by his Clippers counterpart Ivica Zubac. The Croatian big man amassed 33 points, a game-high 18 rebounds and four assists. Atkinson worried about that matchup before the game and expected the Clippers (5-12) to attempt to exploit it in a big way. "(Zubac) is an elite post player," the coach said. Clippers point guard James Harden, who fired in a franchise-record 55 points against Charlotte on Saturday, was held to 19 points and was 5-of-16 from the field, 0-of-8 from the 3-point line. "We did a good job getting him to his right hand," Atkinson said. "Our off-the-ball defense was real good. We did a good job contesting his threes." Even though he got in early foul trouble, Jaylon Tyson did a solid job of making Harden work. The 6-5, 220-pound Harden, in his 17th season out of Arizona State, came into Sunday's game averaging 38.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 7.8 assists in his previous five games. He also has 25 games with 50 or more points in his career, third most in NBA history. The Cavs (12-6) shot a sizzling .517 from the field and .378 from long distance. More importantly, they won the rebounding battle, 41-40. "That's still our Achilles' heel," Atkinson said. "We're below average in that area. Our guards have to rebound. Donovan did a great job of helping out (on the glass)." Forward De'Andre Hunter added 17 points, while point guard Darius Garland had eight points and a game-high eight assists. Rookie guard Tyrese Proctor came off the bench and added 11 points, three rebounds and three assists. "(Proctor's) got moxie," Atkinson said. "He's a highly skilled player. He's Aussie tough. We got a first-round pick in the second round." Having Garland in the lineup takes the Cavs to a new level. "He's our energy," Hunter said. "He sets things up for other players. He really pushes the pace. He opens things up for everyone else." The Cavs finished 4-2 on their just-completed six-game homestand. "We have a way to go to learn about ourselves," Atkinson said. "We still have to figure out some things on offense and not have Donovan be our savior." They played without five injured players Sunday, including center Jarrett Allen, swingman Max Strus and guards Sam Merrill, Lonzo Ball and Craig Porter Jr. Atkinson said many of them will miss tonight's game in Toronto. "We'll be shorthanded again (tonight)," he said. Bob Finnan can be reached at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.