The Cleveland Cavaliers turned a tight game into a rout with a 44-19 surge in the third quarter, defeating the San Antonio Spurs 130-116 on Friday night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Rookie guard Jaylon Tyson fueled the decisive stretch, scoring 16 of his 24 points in the period while shooting 11-for-15 overall. He added six rebounds and two assists as Cleveland (14-10) snapped a brief skid.
The Cavaliers punished San Antonio in the paint, attempting a season-low 26 three-pointers and finishing 31-of-43 at the rim. That interior dominance produced an 80-44 scoring edge in the lane.
Donovan Mitchell paced Cleveland with 27 points, eight assists and three steals. Evan Mobley, playing through illness and facing a Spurs front line missing Victor Wembanyama and Luke Kornet, contributed 17 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and two blocks.
Devin Vassell led San Antonio with 28 points. DeAaron Fox added 25 points and nine assists for the Spurs, who fell to 3-20.
Cleveland remained without Darius Garland, Sam Merrill, Jarrett Allen, Max Strus and Tyrese Proctor, but still improved to 7-6 at home. The Cavaliers host the injury-depleted Golden State Warriors on Saturday.
Source: Hoops Wire
