Donovan Mitchell dropped 38 points to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 117- 108 victory over the short-handed Indiana Pacers on Sunday night.
James Harden had 28 points and seven assists, while Thomas Bryant added 14 points and 10 rebounds in his first start of the season for the Cavaliers.
The playoff-bound Cavaliers (49-29) reduced their magic number for home-court advantage in the first round to one, despite resting their starting frontcourt of Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley, and Sam Merrill. Mitchell made 16 of 27 shots and had six rebounds and six assists in 33 minutes.
Meanwhile, fourth-place Cleveland is four games ahead of Atlanta in the Eastern Conference with four to play. It hosts the Hawks on Wednesday night, then plays at Atlanta on Friday night.
On the other hand, Obi Toppin scored a season-high 21 points with eight rebounds, and Micah Potter had 21 points and 12 rebounds for the Pacers (18-60). Two-way forward Jalen Slawson scored a career-best 19 points.
Indiana has the second-worst record in the NBA, one game in front of the Wizards.
The Pacers built a 47-35 advantage early in the second, and made eight triples in the first half.
Indiana carried a 58-55 lead into the break as Potter had 14 points and seven rebounds, while Harden scored 19 and Mitchell had 15 points for the Cavaliers.
Up next: the Pacers host Minnesota on Tuesday, while the Cavaliers visit Memphis on Monday.
