Evan Mobley has huge game in Cavaliers' close win over Kings

CLEVELAND — The description might have been a little outlandish, but it showed just how dominant he was on this night. Cavaliers power forward Evan Mobley matched his season high with 29 points in perhaps his most complete game of the season in Cleveland's 123-118 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Friday at Rocket Arena. "He was like Shaquille (O'Neal)," Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson boasted. Mobley, who went 13-of-24 from the field, added 13 rebounds, seven assists and four blocks. The 7-foot, 230-pounder said he wasn't sure about the O'Neal reference, but "I definitely felt dominant out there. "I want to focus on how I can get better mentally and physically," he said. Before the game, the Kings (12-34) said they wanted to be physical with the slightly built Mobley. "I can be physical, as well," he said. Guard Donovan Mitchell led all scorers with 33 points and had eight assists. More importantly, he turned the ball over just once after having eight turnovers in the previous game at Charlotte. He was 11-of-25 from the field, 5-of-12 from the 3-point line. The Cavs (26-20) have won four of their last five games, as well as nine of their last 13 since Dec. 29. Swingman Jaylon Tyson contributed 17 points and seven rebounds, while center Jarrett Allen added 15 points, nine rebounds and two steals. Cleveland led 102-93 heading into the final period. The Cavs outrebounded Sacramento 48-43, including 16-10 on the offensive glass. They had just six turnovers. On the downside, the Kings' bench outscored Cleveland's 73-23. Sacramento center Domantas Sabonis was a beast with 24 points, a game-high 16 rebounds, six assists and one steal. Guard Dennis Schroder added 21 points and forward DeMar DeRozan had 20. The key for Mobley is to replicate his monster game tonight in Orlando. "For 48 minutes, he was aggressive," Mitchell said. "(He was thinking), 'I'm going downhill. You can't stop me.'" Atkinson said Mobley is versatile. "He works within the flow of the offense," he said. "His biggest skill is winning. He's just a winning basketball player. He's a 24-year-old guy trying to blossom into a superstar." Cleveland trailed 71-68 at halftime. The Cavs seem to be turning the corner, even though they struggled to win against a bottom-rung team. "It's not always going to be pretty," Mitchell said. "Forget about last year. This is a different year, a different season. We found a way in the fourth quarter." Bob Finnan can be reached at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X. Cavaliers 123, Kings 118 SACRAMENTO (118): Achiuwa 2-6 0-0 4, DeRozan 6-12 8-9 20, Raynaud 0-2 0-0 0, LaVine 4-8 0-0 10, Westbrook 3-12 2-2 11, Sabonis 9-14 5-5 24, Cardwell 4-4 0-0 8, Clifford 2-4 0-0 4, Monk 6-15 0-0 16, Schroder 6-12 6-6 21. Totals 42-89 21-22 118. CLEVELAND (123): Mobley 13-24 3-5 29, Wade 2-4 0-0 6, Allen 3-6 9-10 15, Mitchell 11-25 6-7 33, Tyson 6-14 2-3 17, Tomlin 2-4 0-0 4, Nance Jr. 1-4 0-0 2, Hunter 3-9 2-2 9, Porter Jr. 2-5 0-0 5, Proctor 1-1 0-0 3. Totals 44-96 22-27 123. Sacramento&emsp;35&emsp;36&emsp;22&emsp;25&emsp;—&emsp;118 Cleveland&emsp;35&emsp;33&emsp;34&emsp;21&emsp;—&emsp;123 3-Point Goals—Sacramento 13-33 (Monk 4-9, Schroder 3-5, Westbrook 3-10, LaVine 2-5, Sabonis 1-1, Achiuwa 0-1, Clifford 0-1, DeRozan 0-1), Cleveland 13-36 (Mitchell 5-12, Tyson 3-5, Wade 2-4, Proctor 1-1, Hunter 1-3, Porter Jr. 1-3, Tomlin 0-1, Nance Jr. 0-3, Mobley 0-4). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Sacramento 43 (Sabonis 16), Cleveland 48 (Mobley 13). Assists—Sacramento 26 (Monk 7), Cleveland 23 (Mitchell 8). Total Fouls—Sacramento 25, Cleveland 17. A—19,432 (19,432).