Cavaliers rout Clippers 124-89 after Garland-Harden trade

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points and had nine assists, Jaylon Tyson added 17 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers routed the Los Angeles Clippers 124-89 on Wednesday night, hours after the teams completed a trade of All-Stars.

The Cavaliers sent guard Darius Garland to the Clippers in exchange for James Harden. Neither took the court for their new teams.

Jarrett Allen scored 10 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, Dennis Schroder added 11 points in his Cavaliers debut and Keon Ellis had 6 points in his first game with the Cavaliers, who won for the seventh time in eight games. Schroder and Ellis were acquired from Sacramento in a three-team trade Sunday.

Kawhi Leonard scored 25 points and John Collins added 19 for the Clippers, who lost consecutive games for the first time since a five-game losing streak in December.

Rookie Yanic Konan Niederhauser scored 10 points and had eight rebounds for Los Angeles, which is 17-5 since Dec. 20, although most of that success was with Harden. The Clippers also were without starting center Ivica Zubac, who was out for the birth of his child.

The Cavaliers shot 51.0% from the floor and went 16 of 41 (39.0%) from 3-point range. The Clippers shot 6 of 28 (21.4%) from 3-point range and had 24 turnovers that the Cavs turned into 47 points.

The Cavaliers raced out to a 20-point lead late in the first quarter, with the Clippers pulling within 46-38 just past the midway point of the second quarter. Cleveland surged to a 62-42 lead at halftime.

The Clippers never threatened from there as the Cavaliers led by at least 20 through much of the third quarter and by 35 in the fourth.

Clippers forward Derrick Jones Jr. had 7 points in his return after he missed a month with a knee injury.

Up next

Cavaliers: At Sacramento on Saturday.

Clippers: At Sacramento on Friday.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba