How the Cleveland Cavaliers Crushed the Los Angeles Clippers on Wedensday

The Cleveland Cavaliers continued their recent surge with a 124-91 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell took point with a team-leading 29 points and nine assists. His USA Stripes teammate in forward Kawhi Leonard countered with 25 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

The Cavs rolled out their same starting lineup, which entered the matchup with a 2-1 record over Cleveland's last three games, for the fourth night in a row.

Jaylon Tyson, who earned his 11th start in a row, struck first for the Cavs with a 3-pointer during the game's first possession. Cleveland put the pedal to the metal on offense, but seven starting points from forward John Collins kept LA just close enough behind the Cavs to keep it an even race. Cleveland would eventually pull ahead as Tyson and Jarrett Allen found their stride with a perfect quarter from the floor. Collins would finish the game with 19 points and seven rebounds while logging his fourth night in a row with a clip of 50% or more from the floor.

The duo of Dennis Schröder and Keon Ellis, who were added via a trade with the Sacramento Kings, donned the wine and gold for the first time in the Wednesday showdown.

The pair logged about 38 combined minutes in their Cavaliers debut while flashing the specialties that made them valuable additions near the trade deadline. Schröder first checked in about five minutes through the first quarter and earned his first bucket off a drive against former Chicago Bulls guard Kris Dunn.

The 13-year NBA veteran sliced and diced his way to eight points in the paint as he confidently cruised by his assignments for easy scores. Ellis wouldn't see his first minutes until about a minute left in the first quarter, but still made a mark by picking off a pass meant for Leonard.

Feb 4, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Dennis Schroder (9) is defended by Los Angeles Clippers guard Kris Dunn (8) as he drives to the basket in the first half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Balanced win for the Cavs

The Cavs would stay in the lead with a near-balanced second and third quarter as the starting five kept their foot on the gas from start to finish. Cleveland's bench made sure it never ran out of gas as it outscored the Clippers' bench 52 points to 36.

An incredible string of scores from Mitchell put the game away far before the final horn, while some extra smooth sailing led the Cavs to another big-time win over a Cali counterpart.

The Cavs shocked the NBA world when they sent guard Darius Garland, a seven-year mainstay and two-time All-Star, and a second-round selection to the Clippers in exchange for All-NBA guard James Harden. The former NBA MVP has spent the last few seasons with LA, where he earned his 11th All-Star selection and a spot on the All-NBA Third Team.

The Cavs entered the night with a 2-0 record against LA squads this year after defeating the Lakers in a 129-99 victory last month, which saw Tyson and now-Kings forward De'Andre Hunter tack on a combined 39 points in the Rocket Arena win.

The Cavs will head to California's capital to take on the Kings, who saw Hunter make a debut of his own against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday. Sacramento will face the Clippers themselves before the Cavs head into town the day after. Cleveland last defeated the Kings in a late-January bout that saw Mitchell, Allen and Evan Mobley score a combined 77 points on the Cavs' home floor.

The Cavs will take on the Kings at 10:00 p.m. EST on Saturday in the Golden 1 Center. The game will be broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network - Ohio.