CLEVELAND — For much of this season, the Cavaliers have been shorthanded because of injuries, clunky on offense and disappointing on defense. The Cavs have often lacked the requisite intensity and competitive level expected from a team with legitimate NBA title aspirations.
The season is still young, but the Cavs are tired of failing to click. They will have a chance to build momentum in back-to-back home games on Dec. 5 and Dec. 6 against the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors, both of whom are banged up like Cleveland.
For the Cavs, the good news is they handled the first game well enough to defeat the Spurs 130-117.
Here is how Cavs (14-10) versus Spurs (15-7) unfolded through our updates at Rocket Arena:
Guard Donovan Mitchell and wing Jaylon Tyson led the Cavs with 28 and 24 points, respectively. Mitchell added eight assists, and Tyson tallied six rebounds. Forward Evan Mobley posted a double-double (17 points and 10 rebounds).
Spurs guard Devin Vassell finished with a team-high 28 points, but he scored only three points in the second half. Guard De’Aaron Fox contributed 25 points for San Antonio.
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Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell discussed second-year wing Jaylon Tyson’s performance after the Cavs beat the San Antonio Spurs. Video here.
With the Cavs holding a comfortable lead, coach Kenny Atkinson put reserves in the game with 2:26 left to play.
Akron native and Cavs forward Chris Livingston was among them. It’s the first time Livingston has played in Cleveland as a member of the Cavs. He made a layup with 2:03 left.
Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson isn’t interested in blowing this one.
The Cavs led 124-109 with 3:12 left in the fourth quarter when Atkinson used a timeout after Spurs forward Julian Champagnie dunked to reduce Cleveland’s cushion to 15 points.
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Cleveland Cavaliers wing Jaylon Tyson discussed the Cavs’ win over the San Antonio Spurs. Here’s video from his postgame interview.
Cavs point guard Lonzo Ball had a steal and a turnover in a back-and-forth sequence, and Cleveland led San Antonio 119-107 with 5:34 left in the fourth quarter.
Ball stole a pass from Spurs wing Keldon Johnson and saved the ball from going out of bounds with a behind the back pass to Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell. Then Mitchell drove for a layup and a 119-102 Cavs lead with 6:49 left.
Later, Ball had one of his passes stolen, and Cavs forward Evan Mobley was subsequently called for a foul. Spurs forward Harrison Barnes then dunked, and the Spurs trimmed their deficit to 119-107, prompting a Cavs timeout.
Nae’Qwan Tomlin made a 3-pointer on an assist by fellow forward Dean Wade to boost the Cavs’ lead to 117-102 with 8:11 left in the fourth quarter.
The Spurs called timeout.
The Cavs must have had a productive halftime because they came out swinging in the third quarter. Cleveland outscored San Antonio 44-19 in the third quarter and carried a 108-91 lead into the fourth quarter.
Cavs wing Jaylon Tyson scored 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field (2 of 3 on 3-pointers) in the third quarter, increasing his total to 24 points.
Meanwhile, Spurs guard Devin Vassell scored just two points in the third quarter after lighting up the Cavs for 25 in the first half.
Cavs forward Dean Wade caught a outlet pass from guard Lonzo Ball and attempted a fast-break layup as Spurs forward David Jones Garcia draped an arm around Wade’s neck.
Wade fell hard to the floor with 52.8 seconds left in the third quarter. After a replay review, the officiating crew gave Jones Garcia a Flagrant 1.
Wade made two foul shots to extend the Cavs’ lead to 106-88. The Cavaliers retained possession, and Ball made a layup to give them a 108-88 advantage.
Cavs wing Jaylon Tyson made his first five field goals of the second half (a missed free throw was in the mix) for 11 points through roughly the first half of the third quarter.
Tyson helped the Cavs build a 92-81 lead, and the Spurs called timeout with 5:42 left in the third quarter on the heels of him draining a 10-foot jump shot.
Tyson has scored in double figures in four consecutive games.
When the Cavs have their act together, they show flashes of playing the way they’re supposed to play. Unfortunately for the Cavs, this has merely happened in spurts.
One such sequence unfolded at the beginning of the third quarter. The Cavs opened the second half with an 11-2 run and took a 75-74 lead, compelling the Spurs to call timeout with 9:51 left in the third quarter.
Cavs wing De’Andre Hunter provided a spark with a 3-pointer and a two-point jump shot early in the second half.
The Cavs were behind 72-64 at halftime. They might want to defend Spurs guard Devin Vassell, who torched them in the first half.
Vassell had 25 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field (7 of 10 on 3-pointers) through two quarters. He made a 3 right before halftime to put an exclamation on his first-half outburst.
Guard Donovan Mitchell led the Cavs with 15 points in the first half. Forward Evan Mobley added 13 points and four rebounds.
The Cavs were outrebounded 23-18 in the first half. They went 25-of-44 shooting from the field (4 of 13 on 3s). The Spurs went 25-of-50 shooting from the floor (11 of 24 on 3s).
The Cavs consider a call by the officiating crew a literal slap in the face.
With 8:29 left in the second quarter, Cavs guard Craig Porter Jr. was called for a foul, even though replays on the video boards in the arena showed Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan slapped Porter in the face during the play.
Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson didn’t seem pleased as he communicated with the officials. Atkinson was called for a technical foul with 7:57 left in the first half.
At the conclusion of the sequence, the Cavs were behind 46-43.
Forward David Jones Garcia and guard Lindy Waters III each made a 3-pointer in a span of 22 seconds to boost the Spurs to a 41-38 lead.
Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson immediately responded by calling timeout with 9:58 left in the second quarter.
The second quarter began with the Cavs looking like a different team than the one in the first quarter.
Guard Donovan Mitchell made a jump shot. Forward Evan Mobley dunked on an assist from Mitchell. And Mobley made a layup.
The 6-0 run to start the second quarter gave the Cavs a 36-35 advantage, their first lead of the game, and prompted the Spurs to call timeout with 11:02 remaining in the first half.
The Cavs were in a 35-30 hole when the first quarter ended. It could have been much worse.
The Spurs were more aggressive and physical out of the gate. They played with a greater sense of urgency in the first quarter.
But two Cavs 3-pointers late in the quarter — by guard Craig Porter Jr. with 1:10 left and by forward Dean Wade with 29.2 seconds remaining — made the score tighter.
The Spurs led by as many as 10 points in the opening quarter. Guard Devin Vassell led them with 13 points in the opening quarter. Guard Donovan Mitchell led the Cavs with nine first-quarter points.
The Cavs were behind the Spurs 30-20 during a timeout with 2:35 left in the first quarter, though center Thomas Bryant made two foul shots to cut Cleveland’s deficit to 30-22 with the same amount of time remaining.
With 7:52 left in the first quarter, Cavs forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin picked up his second foul. Cavs wing Jaylon Tyson did the same with 4:17 remaining in the first quarter.
With 10:10 left in the first quarter, guard Devin Vassell produced a four-point play to give the Spurs a 9-2 advantage. Vassell made a 3-pointer and a free throw after drawing a foul from Cavs forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin.
The Cavs eventually awoke and trimmed their deficit to 15-12 when guard Donovan Mitchell made a 3-pointer with 7:41 remaining in the opening quarter as Vassell guarded him on the right wing.
Vassell made another 3 to push the Spurs ahead 18-14 with 6:46 left in the first quarter. The score remained the same during a Cavs timeout with 6:33 remaining.
Below is some pregame information.
The Cavs have ruled out six players for their Dec. 5 game against the Spurs. They are starting point guard Darius Garland (left big toe injury management), starting center Jarrett Allen (right third finger strain), shooting guard Sam Merrill (right hand sprain), small forward Max Strus (left foot surgery), rookie point guard Tyrese Proctor (personal reasons) and forward/center Larry Nance Jr. (right calf strain).
Cavs starting forward Evan Mobley (illness) was listed as questionable to face the Spurs, but the Cavaliers announced he will play.
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Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson reflected on the reasons for his team’s inconsistent start to the 2025-26 NBA season.
The Spurs have a lengthy injury report, too.
The Spurs ruled out center Victor Wembanyama (left calf strain), guard Stephon Castle (left hip flexor strain), center/forward Luke Kornet (left ankle soreness), guard Jordan McLaughlin (left hamstring strain), forward Harrison Ingram (two-way contract) and forward Riley Minix (two-way contract).
The Cavs announced the following players will start for them against the Spurs:
Guard Donovan MitchellGuard Jaylon TysonForward Nae’Qwan TomlinForward De’Andre HunterCenter Evan Mobley
For the second time this season, the Cavs will use this season’s City Edition uniform and specially designed City Edition home court.
Here is how the Cavs explained in a news release the inspiration for their 2025-26 City Edition presentation:
“This year’s City Edition uniform inspires fans to reconnect with Cleveland’s culture and heritage through Nike’s NBA City Edition Remix campaign, where the iconic “Land” uniform returns with a bold, reimagined look. Building on the Cavaliers’ celebrated 2022-23 City Edition — which paid tribute to the Lake Erie coastline and Cleveland Metroparks’ 25,000 acres of protected greenspace, and introduced fans to “The Land” design — this year’s remix revives that story with fresh colors and details. Inspired by Cleveland Metroparks’ role as the guardian of Northeast Ohio’s natural beauty, the uniform captures the hues of Cleveland’s sunsets and fall foliage.”
The Cavs are scheduled to wear their City Edition uniforms four more times this season. These are the games:
7 p.m., Monday, Dec. 22 vs. Charlotte Hornets7 p.m., Monday, Jan. 26 vs. Orlando Magic8 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 24 vs. New York Knicks8 p.m., Tuesday, March 24 vs. Orlando Magic
The local TV broadcast of Cavs vs. Spurs can be viewed via FanDuel Sports Network — Ohio. The radio broadcast can be heard locally via WTAM (1100-AM) or WMMS (100.7-FM).
Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.