Final
Houston Rockets at Dallas Mavericks
135 – 117
2026-27 · Preseason · Preseason
Game state source: whynba · Retrieved Oct 9, 6:37 pm EDTDenver Nuggets at Cleveland Cavaliers
2024-25 · Regular season · All results that day · Denver Nuggets vs Cleveland Cavaliers head-to-head · Denver Nuggets schedule · Cleveland Cavaliers schedule
Final
Away
Denver Nuggets
114
Home
Cleveland Cavaliers
126
Venue: Rocket Arena
Schedule source: whynba · Observed Oct 9, 2026, 06:29 UTC.
Game recap
The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Denver Nuggets 126-114 at home on Thursday, December 5, 2024 at Rocket Arena. Donovan Mitchell had 28 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Nikola Jokić had 27 points, 20 rebounds and 11 assists for the Denver Nuggets.
The Cleveland Cavaliers led 66-62 at halftime and pulled away after the break. Their best stretch was the third quarter, won 36-25. Double-digit figures in two categories: Nikola Jokić (triple-double, Denver Nuggets). Bench points: Denver Nuggets 16, Cleveland Cavaliers 43. Darius Garland had 24 points, 0 rebounds and 4 assists in support for the winners.
Written by the whynba data desk from the licensed final box score and period scores.
Score source: whynba · Retrieved Oct 9, 2026, 06:29:18 UTC. Source update time is unavailable.
Controls this game's status, scores and reported player statistics only. Other page sections may still update. Pausing lasts until you resume or reload.
Reported player statistics
this may be a partial box score. A dash means unavailable. Zero minutes alone does not establish a DNP designation.
| Player | Team | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | +/− | Retrieved (UTC) |
|---|
Quick answers
- Who won Denver Nuggets vs Cleveland Cavaliers?
- The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Denver Nuggets 126-114 on December 5, 2024.
- Who led the scoring?
- Nikola Jokić scored 27 for the Denver Nuggets with 20 rebounds; Donovan Mitchell scored 28 for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Match dossier
Inside the game
Box score
| Team | q1 | q2 | q3 | q4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Nuggets | 27 | 35 | 25 | 27 | 114 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 37 | 29 | 36 | 24 | 126 |
Game leaders
Denver Nuggets
- Points
- 27 Nikola Jokić
- Rebounds
- 20 Nikola Jokić
- Assists
- 11 Nikola Jokić
Cleveland Cavaliers
- Points
- 28 Donovan Mitchell
- Rebounds
- 15 Jarrett Allen
- Assists
- 6 Jarrett Allen
Nikola Jokić triple-double (27 PTS, 20 REB, 11 AST)
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG | 3P | FT | PF | +/− |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jamal Murray starter | 41:37 | 19 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7-16 | 1-3 | 4-5 | 0 | -10 |
| Christian Braun starter | 39:11 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4-10 | 0-3 | 2-2 | 2 | +2 |
| Nikola Jokić starter | 38:40 | 27 | 20 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 13-26 | 0-3 | 1-1 | 3 | -8 |
| Michael Porter Jr. starter | 37:36 | 24 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 8-15 | 3-6 | 5-6 | 0 | +1 |
| Aaron Gordon starter | 34:21 | 18 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8-13 | 0-2 | 2-4 | 1 | +1 |
| Peyton Watson bench | 18:13 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1-3 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 3 | -13 |
| Russell Westbrook bench | 15:55 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4-9 | 1-3 | 1-2 | 1 | -15 |
| Julian Strawther bench | 11:42 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1-4 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 2 | -14 |
| Zeke Nnaji bench | 2:45 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | -4 |
Not available: Vlatko Cancar, DaRon Holmes II
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG | 3P | FT | PF | +/− |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jarrett Allen starter | 35:22 | 8 | 15 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3-5 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 1 | +5 |
| Darius Garland starter | 33:15 | 24 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9-20 | 3-10 | 3-3 | 3 | -1 |
| Donovan Mitchell starter | 32:56 | 28 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 11-24 | 6-10 | 0-0 | 4 | +21 |
| Evan Mobley starter | 32:15 | 20 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7-11 | 3-5 | 3-6 | 1 | +13 |
| Isaac Okoro starter | 11:38 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 3 | -5 |
| Caris LeVert bench | 26:57 | 21 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7-11 | 5-6 | 2-4 | 0 | +17 |
| Sam Merrill bench | 20:33 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3-8 | 2-7 | 0-0 | 2 | +12 |
| Dean Wade bench | 18:41 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2-5 | 1-4 | 0-1 | 0 | -8 |
| Georges Niang bench | 16:22 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2-4 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 2 | +17 |
| Ty Jerome bench | 12:01 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2-4 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 1 | -11 |
Not available: Emoni Bates, Max Strus, Craig Porter, Luke Travers
| Denver Nuggets | Stat | Cleveland Cavaliers |
|---|---|---|
| 16/22 (72%) | Free throws | 10/16 (62%) |
| 40/72 (55%) | 2 pointers | 25/46 (54%) |
| 6/24 (25%) | 3 pointers | 22/48 (45%) |
| 46/96 (47%) | Field goals | 47/94 (50%) |
| 49 | Rebounds | 47 |
| 40 | Defensive rebounds | 38 |
| 9 | Offensive rebounds | 9 |
| 25 | Assists | 32 |
| 15 | Turnovers | 15 |
| 12 | Steals | 9 |
| 5 | Blocks | 3 |
| 13 | Fouls | 17 |
| 9 | Max points in a row | 11 |
| 3:16 | Time spent in lead | 43:54 |
| 4 | Biggest lead | 18 |
Largest margin: 18 points.
Game flow
- Lead changes
- 1
- Times tied
- 1
- Largest lead · Denver Nuggets
- 4 Q1 11:11
- Largest lead · Cleveland Cavaliers
- 18 Q3 1:13
- Longest run
- 11-0 Cleveland Cavaliers · Q3 3:20 to Q3 1:13
Scoring plays
Q1 · 29 scoring plays
| Time left | Team | Play | Denver Nuggets | Cleveland Cavaliers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:44 | Denver Nuggets | Nikola Jokić 2-pt field goal | 2 | 0 |
| 11:11 | Denver Nuggets | Michael Porter Jr. Free throw | 3 | 0 |
| 11:11 | Denver Nuggets | Michael Porter Jr. Free throw | 4 | 0 |
| 10:34 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Jarrett Allen 2-pt field goal | 4 | 2 |
| 9:45 | Denver Nuggets | Jamal Murray 2-pt field goal | 6 | 2 |
| 9:33 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Evan Mobley 2-pt field goal | 6 | 4 |
| 9:10 | Denver Nuggets | Nikola Jokić 2-pt field goal | 8 | 4 |
| 9:00 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Darius Garland 3-pt field goal | 8 | 7 |
| 8:52 | Denver Nuggets | Aaron Gordon 2-pt field goal | 10 | 7 |
| 8:28 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Donovan Mitchell 3-pt field goal | 10 | 10 |
| 7:54 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Evan Mobley 3-pt field goal | 10 | 13 |
| 7:43 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Isaac Okoro 3-pt field goal | 10 | 16 |
| 7:31 | Denver Nuggets | Aaron Gordon Free throw | 11 | 16 |
| 7:11 | Denver Nuggets | Christian Braun 2-pt field goal | 13 | 16 |
| 6:59 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Donovan Mitchell 2-pt field goal | 13 | 18 |
| 6:25 | Denver Nuggets | Russell Westbrook 2-pt field goal | 15 | 18 |
| 5:45 | Denver Nuggets | Nikola Jokić 2-pt field goal | 17 | 18 |
| 5:28 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Darius Garland 2-pt field goal | 17 | 20 |
| 5:18 | Denver Nuggets | Russell Westbrook 2-pt field goal | 19 | 20 |
| 4:59 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Georges Niang 3-pt field goal | 19 | 23 |
| 4:30 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Caris LeVert 3-pt field goal | 19 | 26 |
| 3:14 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Caris LeVert 2-pt field goal | 19 | 28 |
| 2:42 | Denver Nuggets | Nikola Jokić 2-pt field goal | 21 | 28 |
| 2:25 | Denver Nuggets | Nikola Jokić 2-pt field goal | 23 | 28 |
| 1:57 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Caris LeVert 3-pt field goal | 23 | 31 |
| 1:13 | Denver Nuggets | Russell Westbrook 2-pt field goal | 25 | 31 |
| 0:43 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Caris LeVert 3-pt field goal | 25 | 34 |
| 0:26 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Caris LeVert 3-pt field goal | 25 | 37 |
| 0:07 | Denver Nuggets | Nikola Jokić 2-pt field goal | 27 | 37 |
Q2 · 31 scoring plays
| Time left | Team | Play | Denver Nuggets | Cleveland Cavaliers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:49 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Sam Merrill 3-pt field goal | 27 | 40 |
| 10:49 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Donovan Mitchell 3-pt field goal | 27 | 43 |
| 10:15 | Denver Nuggets | Jamal Murray 2-pt field goal | 29 | 43 |
| 10:00 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Donovan Mitchell 2-pt field goal | 29 | 45 |
| 9:46 | Denver Nuggets | Jamal Murray 2-pt field goal | 31 | 45 |
| 9:36 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Evan Mobley 2-pt field goal | 31 | 47 |
| 9:15 | Denver Nuggets | Jamal Murray Free throw | 32 | 47 |
| 9:15 | Denver Nuggets | Jamal Murray Free throw | 33 | 47 |
| 9:01 | Denver Nuggets | Christian Braun 2-pt field goal | 35 | 47 |
| 8:34 | Denver Nuggets | Aaron Gordon 2-pt field goal | 37 | 47 |
| 8:34 | Denver Nuggets | Aaron Gordon Free throw | 38 | 47 |
| 8:09 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Ty Jerome 2-pt field goal | 38 | 49 |
| 7:56 | Denver Nuggets | Michael Porter Jr. 2-pt field goal | 40 | 49 |
| 7:40 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Evan Mobley 2-pt field goal | 40 | 51 |
| 7:19 | Denver Nuggets | Michael Porter Jr. 2-pt field goal | 42 | 51 |
| 6:41 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Ty Jerome 2-pt field goal | 42 | 53 |
| 6:30 | Denver Nuggets | Jamal Murray 2-pt field goal | 44 | 53 |
| 6:07 | Denver Nuggets | Aaron Gordon 2-pt field goal | 46 | 53 |
| 5:41 | Denver Nuggets | Aaron Gordon 2-pt field goal | 48 | 53 |
| 5:18 | Denver Nuggets | Nikola Jokić 2-pt field goal | 50 | 53 |
| 5:18 | Denver Nuggets | Nikola Jokić Free throw | 51 | 53 |
| 5:00 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Darius Garland 3-pt field goal | 51 | 56 |
| 4:46 | Denver Nuggets | Aaron Gordon 2-pt field goal | 53 | 56 |
| 4:32 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Dean Wade 2-pt field goal | 53 | 58 |
| 3:55 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Caris LeVert 2-pt field goal | 53 | 60 |
| 3:26 | Denver Nuggets | Michael Porter Jr. 3-pt field goal | 56 | 60 |
| 2:53 | Denver Nuggets | Christian Braun 2-pt field goal | 58 | 60 |
| 2:40 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Evan Mobley 3-pt field goal | 58 | 63 |
| 2:15 | Denver Nuggets | Nikola Jokić 2-pt field goal | 60 | 63 |
| 1:00 | Denver Nuggets | Michael Porter Jr. 2-pt field goal | 62 | 63 |
| 0:31 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Donovan Mitchell 3-pt field goal | 62 | 66 |
Q3 · 31 scoring plays
| Time left | Team | Play | Denver Nuggets | Cleveland Cavaliers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:48 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Darius Garland 2-pt field goal | 62 | 68 |
| 11:28 | Denver Nuggets | Michael Porter Jr. 3-pt field goal | 65 | 68 |
| 11:09 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Donovan Mitchell 3-pt field goal | 65 | 71 |
| 10:51 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Darius Garland 2-pt field goal | 65 | 73 |
| 10:34 | Denver Nuggets | Aaron Gordon 2-pt field goal | 67 | 73 |
| 10:17 | Denver Nuggets | Jamal Murray 3-pt field goal | 70 | 73 |
| 9:46 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Dean Wade 3-pt field goal | 70 | 76 |
| 9:11 | Denver Nuggets | Christian Braun 2-pt field goal | 72 | 76 |
| 8:56 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Evan Mobley 3-pt field goal | 72 | 79 |
| 8:41 | Denver Nuggets | Nikola Jokić 2-pt field goal | 74 | 79 |
| 8:17 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Donovan Mitchell 2-pt field goal | 74 | 81 |
| 6:35 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Jarrett Allen 2-pt field goal | 74 | 83 |
| 6:00 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Darius Garland 2-pt field goal | 74 | 85 |
| 5:44 | Denver Nuggets | Michael Porter Jr. Free throw | 75 | 85 |
| 5:44 | Denver Nuggets | Michael Porter Jr. Free throw | 76 | 85 |
| 5:33 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Darius Garland 2-pt field goal | 76 | 87 |
| 5:33 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Darius Garland Free throw | 76 | 88 |
| 5:22 | Denver Nuggets | Nikola Jokić 2-pt field goal | 78 | 88 |
| 4:43 | Denver Nuggets | Russell Westbrook Free throw | 79 | 88 |
| 4:19 | Denver Nuggets | Julian Strawther 2-pt field goal | 81 | 88 |
| 3:53 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Darius Garland 3-pt field goal | 81 | 91 |
| 3:29 | Denver Nuggets | Russell Westbrook 3-pt field goal | 84 | 91 |
| 3:20 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Darius Garland Free throw | 84 | 92 |
| 3:20 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Darius Garland Free throw | 84 | 93 |
| 3:01 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Caris LeVert Free throw | 84 | 94 |
| 3:01 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Caris LeVert Free throw | 84 | 95 |
| 2:23 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Georges Niang 2-pt field goal | 84 | 97 |
| 1:57 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Sam Merrill 3-pt field goal | 84 | 100 |
| 1:13 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Jarrett Allen Free throw | 84 | 101 |
| 1:13 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Jarrett Allen Free throw | 84 | 102 |
| 1:00 | Denver Nuggets | Peyton Watson 3-pt field goal | 87 | 102 |
Q4 · 28 scoring plays
| Time left | Team | Play | Denver Nuggets | Cleveland Cavaliers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:19 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Evan Mobley Free throw | 87 | 103 |
| 11:05 | Denver Nuggets | Jamal Murray 2-pt field goal | 89 | 103 |
| 10:54 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Donovan Mitchell 2-pt field goal | 89 | 105 |
| 10:14 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Donovan Mitchell 2-pt field goal | 89 | 107 |
| 9:51 | Denver Nuggets | Michael Porter Jr. 2-pt field goal | 91 | 107 |
| 9:10 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Sam Merrill 2-pt field goal | 91 | 109 |
| 8:46 | Denver Nuggets | Jamal Murray 2-pt field goal | 93 | 109 |
| 7:51 | Denver Nuggets | Peyton Watson Free throw | 94 | 109 |
| 7:15 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Donovan Mitchell 3-pt field goal | 94 | 112 |
| 6:38 | Denver Nuggets | Aaron Gordon 2-pt field goal | 96 | 112 |
| 5:52 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Jarrett Allen 2-pt field goal | 96 | 114 |
| 5:31 | Denver Nuggets | Aaron Gordon 2-pt field goal | 98 | 114 |
| 5:06 | Denver Nuggets | Nikola Jokić 2-pt field goal | 100 | 114 |
| 4:26 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Evan Mobley Free throw | 100 | 115 |
| 4:26 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Evan Mobley Free throw | 100 | 116 |
| 4:13 | Denver Nuggets | Nikola Jokić 2-pt field goal | 102 | 116 |
| 3:57 | Denver Nuggets | Jamal Murray Free throw | 103 | 116 |
| 3:57 | Denver Nuggets | Jamal Murray Free throw | 104 | 116 |
| 3:37 | Denver Nuggets | Michael Porter Jr. 3-pt field goal | 107 | 116 |
| 2:45 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Caris LeVert 3-pt field goal | 107 | 119 |
| 2:30 | Denver Nuggets | Michael Porter Jr. 2-pt field goal | 109 | 119 |
| 2:00 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Donovan Mitchell 3-pt field goal | 109 | 122 |
| 1:58 | Denver Nuggets | Christian Braun Free throw | 110 | 122 |
| 1:58 | Denver Nuggets | Christian Braun Free throw | 111 | 122 |
| 1:47 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Darius Garland 2-pt field goal | 111 | 124 |
| 1:38 | Denver Nuggets | Michael Porter Jr. Free throw | 112 | 124 |
| 1:17 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Evan Mobley 2-pt field goal | 112 | 126 |
| 1:02 | Denver Nuggets | Nikola Jokić 2-pt field goal | 114 | 126 |
2024-25 season series
After this game: Cleveland Cavaliers 1-0. Final series: Cleveland Cavaliers 2-0.
- Dec 5: Denver Nuggets 114 at Cleveland Cavaliers 126 (this game)
- Dec 27: Cleveland Cavaliers 149 at Denver Nuggets 135
Game statistics · retrieved Oct 9, 2026 02:29.
Tipoff and venue can change. Game times: Eastern Time.
Tipoff in UTC
Dec 6, 2024 · 00:00 UTC