Zach LaVine lights up Cavaliers as Kings move up in NBA play-in race
The Sacramento Kings pulled off one of their biggest wins of the season to improve their position in the Western Conference play-in race.
Zach LaVine scored 37 points to lead the Kings to a 120-113 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
DeMar DeRozan scored 28 points for the Kings (38-40), passing Jerry West for 26th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Domantas Sabonis had 27 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
The Kings moved ahead of the Dallas Mavericks for ninth in the West, putting themselves in line for a first-round home game in the play-in tournament. The Kings found a way to win despite the absences of Keegan Murray (back) and Jake LaRavia (thumb).
Ty Jerome came off the bench to score 20 points for the Cavaliers (62-16), who could have clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference with a win.
Donovan Mitchell had 19 points, six rebounds and six assists. Jarrett Allen added 17 points.
The Kings outscored the Cavaliers 37-21 in points off turnovers.
“The number that stands out the most is the 16 turnovers for 37 points,” interim Kings coach Doug Christie said. “Not only did we turn them over, but we were able to convert, so for us to continue to build regardless of our opponent, just a fantastic win.”
The Kings completed a season sweep after beating the Cavaliers 123-119 on March 19 in Sacramento. The Cavaliers were 33-5 at home going into the game.
The Kings will be back in action Monday when they face the Detroit Pistons in the final game of a six-game road trip.
Halftime report
The Kings staged an 11-2 run to take an early lead. They led 31-27 following a big first quarter from Sabonis, who scored 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting with six rebounds.
The Cavaliers mounted a 10-0 run to take a 45-39 lead midway through the second quarter. The Kings came back to cut the deficit to one when Ellis hit a halfcourt shot at the buzzer to cap an impressive first half for Sacramento.
Sabonis had 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting with eight rebounds. LaVine had 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting.
Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 12 points.
Second half
The Cavaliers led 62-56 when Mitchell went down with an ankle injury with 9:54 to play in the third quarter. Mitchell returned late in the third period, but by then momentum had swung in Sacramento’s favor.
The Kings outscored the Cavaliers 27-8 over the final 6:28 to take a 91-79 lead into the fourth quarter. That’s when Mitchell took control, sparking a 17-4 run as Cleveland rallied to take a 96-95 lead with 8:06 to play.
The teams continued to trade shots in a fourth quarter that featured eight lead changes. Cleveland led 106-105 following a basket by Allen, but the Kings outscored the Cavaliers 15-7 over the final 4:59.
Up next
The Kings will face another Eastern Conference playoff team when they visit the Pistons on Monday at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan.
The Pistons (43-35) are sixth in the East, a half-game behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the No. 5 seed. They have lost three of their last four games.
The Pistons are listing Jalen Duren (leg) and Tobias Harris (heel) as questionable for Monday’s game. Jaden Ivey (fibula) is out.
This story was originally published April 6, 2025 at 6:04 PM.
