Josh Richardson scored 24 points off the bench and Keldon Johnson blocked the potential game-winning shot in the final seconds as the San Antonio Spurs held on for a wild 112-111 victory over the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday.
The Spurs led by 16 points at intermission and by 92-78 after three quarters, but Cleveland clawed back to within 110-106 on two free throws by Jarrett Allen with 3:04 to play. A basket by Devin Vassell was answered by pair of foul shots by Darius Garland with 1:38 left.
Donovan Mitchell’s putback layup with 53 seconds remaining brought Cleveland to within two points, and a free throw by Evan Mobley with 37.9 seconds left made it 112-111. After Tre Jones missed a reverse layup with 12.6 seconds left, the Cavaliers had a chance to win, but Mitchell’s layup with 6.7 seconds to go was blocked by Johnson. Garland then missed a 3-pointer with 0.6 seconds remaining, and Vassell stole the rebound from Mitchell to secure the win.
Keldon Johnson in the CLUTCH 🔥
21 PTS, 6 REB, and the GAME SAVING block! pic.twitter.com/mECIq0Omlf
— NBA (@NBA) December 13, 2022
Johnson added 21 points for the Spurs, with Vassell scoring 16, Jones hitting for 15 and Charles Bassey grabbing 11 rebounds.
Mitchell’s 28 points led all scorers while Caris LeVert added 23 off the bench, Garland had 18, Mobley racked up 17 points and 13 rebounds and Allen hit for 16 points for the Cavaliers.
The first quarter featured four ties and three lead changes, the final of which came when Bassey tipped in a shot to put the Spurs up 20-18. San Antonio would push its advantage to as many as six points in the period before settling for a 29-27 lead after 12 minutes of play.
The Spurs used a 16-0 run over the middle of the second quarter capped by a Johnson jumper with 4:36 left to take a 53-37 lead. San Antonio eventually went up by as many as 18 points before taking a 65-49 lead into halftime.
Johnson led the Spurs with 14 points before halftime, with Richardson adding 13 off the bench. San Antonio outshot the Cavaliers 53.8 percent to 42 percent and earned a 29-20 edge in rebounding over the first 24 minutes.
Mitchell’s 14 points at the half paced the Cavaliers, while LeVert pumped in 10.
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