Zach LaVine poured in 37 points on Sunday night as the Sacramento Kings defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 120-113 on the road, keeping their hold on a play-in spot in the Western Conference.
LaVine, who connected on 15 of his 21 shot attempts and went a perfect 6-of-6 from three-point range in the second half, scored 11 points in the fourth quarter to help Sacramento close strong.
The Kings, who improved to 38-40 with the win, used a 13-5 run in the final five minutes to pull away after trailing 106-105 with 5:00 remaining.
Cleveland, which entered the night atop the Eastern Conference standings at 62-15, fell to 62-16 and saw its three-game winning streak snapped.
DeMar DeRozan added 28 points and passed Jerry West for 26th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, while Domantas Sabonis posted 27 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists.
Keon Ellis contributed 11 points, including a 43-foot buzzer-beater to end the second quarter that brought Sacramento within 57-56 at halftime.
Ty Jerome led the Cavaliers with 20 points off the bench in his return from a five-game absence due to left knee tendinitis.
Donovan Mitchell scored 19 points but briefly exited in the third quarter after appearing to injure his left ankle, later returning to finish the game.
Jarrett Allen chipped in 17 points and Evan Mobley had 16 for Cleveland, which struggled from beyond the arc, converting just 10 of 38 three-point attempts (26.3%).
The Kings, by contrast, caught fire from deep in the second half, hitting 10 of 16 threes after intermission to finish the game at 42.4% from distance.
Sacramento also shot 53.7% overall and went 18-of-22 from the free throw line while assisting on 25 of their 44 made field goals.
LaVine’s scoring outburst marked his highest total since joining Sacramento and came on a night when the Kings were without multiple rotation players due to injury.
With the victory, the Kings moved to 9th in the West and remained in firm contention for the Play-In Tournament with four games remaining.
Despite the loss, Cleveland remains in control of the No. 1 seed in the East, holding a slim lead over both the Celtics and Bucks.
Sacramento will look to build momentum heading into the postseason as they try to avoid falling into the 10th seed.
The Kings also received solid bench contributions from Malik Monk, who finished with eight points and seven rebounds in 20 minutes.
Ty Jerome’s efficient night included 9-of-13 shooting and highlighted a strong offensive effort by Cleveland’s reserves, who outscored Sacramento’s bench 41-10.
Sacramento’s starters, however, combined for 110 of the team’s 120 points and committed only five turnovers in the second half.
The Kings outrebounded Cleveland 39-39 despite a size disadvantage and won the turnover battle 14-16.
