How the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Denver Nuggets Friday night

Even when the Cleveland Cavaliers seemed to get almost everything right in the first half, they still, somehow, almost ended up wrong.

A mostly-one-man show in the first half nearly countered a team effort from the Cavs as they still prevailed over the Denver Nuggets in a 113-108 win on Friday.

Cleveland was led by star guard Donovan Mitchell, who logged 33 points on an efficient night from the floor. Denver guard Jamal Murray, who is averaging a career-high in points per game this season, played its hero as he singlehandedly kept the Nuggets on pace in the first half before finishing with 34 points in about 39 minutes of play.

Cleveland's starting big duo of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen began to get things rolling for the Cavs on the inside, but early jumpers would ultimately spark a slow back-and-forth battle between the two squads.

While the Cavs still had some trouble lighting a spark on the outside early on, they used confident slashes in the paint and second-chance opportunities to build a comfortable pace on offense against Denver. The two bigs ended the game with 23 boards and seven makes inside, which played a key difference in keeping the Cavs on pace with the Nuggets in the home bout.

While a division rival in the Detroit Pistons led the league in points in the paint per game heading into the night, Cleveland ranked fourth in the NBA in paint points per contest over its last five matchups as it recently found its stride from close range. The Cavs ended the night with 50 paint points as they all but outclassed the Nuggets on the interior in the first quarter. A red-hot second-quarter surge kept the Cavs ahead, but the Nuggets never remained too far in the rearview as they kept striking back just when they needed it the most.

One of the league's top offenses, which poured on a league-leading 125.1 points per game heading into the Friday-night matchup, was without its high-powered engine in center Nikola Jokic. The three-time MVP injured his left knee during a Monday matchup with the Miami Heat. Nuggets big DaRon Holmes II earned his first start of the season after playing in about 22 minutes in Denver's victory over the Toronto Raptors on New Year's Eve.

The 2024 first-rounder would pair with forward Zeke Nnaji alongside Denver's early starting unit, which was kept afloat by a soaring Murray as he scored 14 of the Nuggets' first 17 points.

Murray hit the 20-point mark with about four minutes left in the second quarter and nearly hit the 30-point mark by the half. He would only continue his impact on offense with a step back 3-pointer, free throws, a driving bucket and a handful of assists in the remaining few minutes before the half's end. The Nuggets would pull away with a double-digit lead in the beginning half of the third quarter as their offense sparked to life behind the efforts of their starters, but the Cavs fought back as their guards went on a sudden run of their own.

Dec. 27, 2024; Cleveland Cavaliers v. Denver Nuggets. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images — Dec 27, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) talks with Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) after a play in the third quarter at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The Cavs will hang around the Midwest before traveling to Philadelphia for two bouts against the 76ers as they kick off the new year.

A home game against Detroit, an away battle with the Indiana Pacers and a home-and-home series with the Minnesota Timberwolves will be capped off with a home contest against the Utah Jazz. The Pistons still sit atop the Eastern Conference despite a close loss to the Miami Heat on New Year's Day, which saw them nearly pull off an incredible comeback after being down by as many as 22 points.

The Cavs needed a spark after earning a 19-16 record in their first 35 games of action during this year's campaign, a stark difference from their 31-4 record at this point last season.

The Cavs will move on to face the Pistons at 2 p.m. EST on Sunday in Rocket Arena. The game will be broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network - Ohio.