PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Darius Garland scored 27 points and provided eight assists, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 122-111 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night. Ty Jerome contributed 25 points off the bench, while Evan Mobley added 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the win. For Portland, Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe each scored 18 points in the loss.
With a record of 58-14, Cleveland holds a five-game lead over Boston for the top spot in the Eastern Conference with only 10 games remaining. Meanwhile, Portland sits at 32-41, trailing Phoenix by 3 1/2 games for the 10th position in the Western Conference, which would secure the last spot in the play-in tournament. The Cavaliers played without their star guard Donovan Mitchell, who is dealing with a left groin injury.
Takeaways:
Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson is not overly worried about securing the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. His main focus is on keeping his team healthy and ready for the playoffs. “Whether we end up as the first seed, second seed, or third seed doesn’t really matter to me,” Atkinson said. “I might need to pay more attention to that, but I’ve seen teams push hard for a seed, and I’m not convinced that’s always the best strategy.”
Blazers coach Chauncey Billups noted that Toumani Camara has improved his 3-point shooting in his second season, raising his percentage from 33.7% to 37.8%, while also attempting nearly two more shots per game. “Last year, he faced a lot of big defenders, and he took that personally,” Billups said. “His shooting is legit, and we rely on it.”
Key moment: Jerome scored 13 of his 25 points during the third quarter, helping the Cavaliers keep their lead.
Key stat: Cleveland outscored Portland 64-42 in the paint.
