Donovan Mitchell scores 33 points, Cavaliers clinch playoff spot with 129
CLEVELAND (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 33 points, Jarrett Allen had 29 points and 13 rebounds and the Cleveland Cavaliers clinched a playoff berth with a 129-120 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Friday night.
Indiana pulled within 120-118 with 2:04 remaining on Pascal Siakam’s drive, but Darius Garland answered with a 3-pointer over Siakam. The Cavaliers scored the final six points, capped by an Isaac Okoro three-point play that ended with him somersaulting before posing for the crowd.
Garland and Caris LeVert each finished with 16 points, and Max Strus had seven points and nine assists. Allen made 13 of 14 shots for Cleveland, which earned its first back-to-back playoff appearances since making four straight NBA Finals from 2015-2018.
“Tonight was the closest we were going to get to a playoff feel before the playoffs, and we felt that pressure as an organization,” Allen said. “We should celebrate this accomplishment because everybody has worked hard to make this happen. But the job is not done yet. We want to go far in the playoffs.”