Mitchell’s late dagger seals Cleveland’s comeback in New Orleans

Cleveland flips the script in the fourth

New Orleans spends most of the second half in control, but Cleveland finishes with the sharper closing punch. The Pelicans build their biggest cushion of the night at 15 in the third quarter, only for the Cavaliers to storm back with a 13-0 burst in the fourth and steal a 111-106 win on the road.

The game’s tone changes in the opening minutes, when Cleveland comes out fast and pushes ahead 31-18 before New Orleans answers with an 11-0 run of its own. D. Queen’s driving layup trims the margin and helps the Pelicans settle in, and by halftime the home side has erased most of the early damage, trailing just 53-56. Then New Orleans takes over after the break. Zion Williamson keeps attacking downhill, the Pelicans turn stops into runouts, and by the time the third quarter winds down they’ve stretched the lead to 88-76. It looks like the Cavs are in trouble.

But the fourth quarter belongs to Cleveland’s shot-makers and playmakers. J. Harden starts the comeback with a 25-foot three that cuts it from 95-81 to 95-94, capping a 13-point run that suddenly makes every possession feel like a pressure moment. Moments later, M. Strus slips into a driving layup to put Cleveland in front 100-99, and Harden follows with an 8-foot driving floater to push the margin to 102-99. The Cavaliers are not just chasing anymore — they’re dictating the pace, forcing New Orleans to answer every touch at the rim and every swing on the perimeter.

The final minutes are a showcase for Cleveland’s most reliable weapons. Harden finishes with 20 points and 10 assists, setting the table all night and then delivering the decisive pass on E. Mobley’s dunk at the 1:57 mark, a play that stretches the lead to 106-99 and feels like the turning point that sticks. Mobley’s rim protection matters just as much: he blocks shots at 3:21 and 1:41, and those stops deny New Orleans the easy answer it needs while the crowd tries to lift the Pelicans back into it. Sam Merrill also makes his mark with a cutting layup at 1:24, a clean finish off Mobley’s feed that pushes the Cavs ahead 108-102 and keeps the pressure squarely on the home team.

New Orleans still has life thanks to Zion, who ends with 25 points on 71 percent shooting, but the Pelicans can’t quite finish the chase. Zion’s driving layup at 1:13 cuts the gap, and D. Murray gets one more at 0:26.8 to make it 108-106, but Donovan Mitchell ends the suspense almost immediately. He drives for a layup with 4.2 seconds left, scoring Cleveland’s final basket and sealing a 111-106 win that feels earned the hard way. Mitchell leads all scorers with 27 points, piling up 7 rebounds and attacking late when the game is tightest.

For Cleveland, this is the kind of road win that can matter later. The Cavs show they can absorb a big swing, survive a hostile third quarter, and still close with composure. For New Orleans, the loss stings because the Pelicans had the game where they wanted it — at home, with a 15-point lead, and with Zion rolling — but they let the fourth-quarter execution get away from them. If these teams meet again, the closing minutes are going to be the part everyone remembers.