Cavaliers shoot past Spurs thanks to 4th-quarter outburst

Field Level Media|published: Mon 29th December, 23:12 2025

Dec 29, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) dribbles against San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) in the first half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Jarrett Allen amassed 27 points and 10 rebounds and helped key a decisive fourth-quarter run as the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers emerged with a 113-101 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Monday.

San Antonio led by a bucket heading into the final period but came unraveled during a stretch when the Cavaliers turned a three-point deficit into a 101-89 lead with 5:05 left. Jaylon Tyson sank back-to-back 3-pointers early in the pivotal run while Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell scored five points each.

The Spurs never got closer than eight points the rest of the way and dropped their second straight game after winning eight in a row.

Evan Mobley added 16 points for Cavaliers, who snapped a two-game losing streak. Garland racked up 15 points and 11 assists, Tyson and De'Andre Hunter had 11 points each, and Mitchell and Dean Wade hit for 10 apiece.

Victor Wembanyama led Spurs with 26 points and 14 rebounds. Stephon Castle added 15 points, De'Aaron Fox had 14, Dylan Harper finished with 11 and Keldon Johnson scored 10 points.

San Antonio produced a 14-3 run capped by a Wembanyama 3-pointer to erase a 10-point deficit and build a 26-25 advantage after 12 minutes.

The early part of the second quarter seesawed between the teams. A pair of Johnson free throws with 4:16 to play in the period put the Spurs up 43-42, and a 12-0 run punctuated by two free throws from Luke Kornet at the 2:03 mark that staked San Antonio to a 10-point lead.

The Spurs led by 11 points before Cleveland finished the period with a 3-pointer from Sam Merrill and two free throws by Mitchell to cull its deficit to 55-49 entering the break.

Wembanyama and Castle scored 11 points each before halftime to lead the Spurs. Allen had a dozen points to pace Cleveland.

The third quarter was close throughout, with the Cavaliers tying the game at 72-72 on Hunter's layup with 2:48 remaining in the period. After a series of free throws by Fox and Wembanyama over the final two minutes, two Mobley free throws with 0.7 seconds left in the quarter brought Cleveland within 78-76.

--Field Level Media

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