DENVER – Donovan Mitchell scored 33 points, Evan Mobley had 26 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Denver Nuggets 149-135 on Friday night for their sixth straight victory.

Cleveland posted a season-high and improved to 10-1 since suffering two straight losses to Atlanta last month.

Nikola Jokic had 27 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists for his league-leading 12th triple-double of the season, and Jamal Murray also had 27 points with 10 assists for Denver, which has lost two in a row.

Michael Porter Jr. scored 13 of the Nuggets’ first 25 points to pace the Cavaliers, but scored just five down the stretch.

Cleveland led by as many as 19 and improved its NBA-best record to 27-4.

Takeaways

Cavaliers: Passed the first test at the start of their toughest road trip of the season. All five starters made more than half of their field goal attempts and all but Dean Wade scored 20 or more points.

Nuggets: Their porous defense was hurt by the absence of Aaron Gordon, who is sidelined with a right calf strain. They allowed season highs in points and points (80) in the first half.

Key moment

With Denver leading 53-50 early in the second quarter, Darius Garland scored six of his 25 points to spark a 16-0 run that allowed the Cavaliers to take control of the game. As the game progressed, their lead never fell below double digits.

Key statistics

Mitchell was 6 of 12 from 3-point range.

Next

The Cavaliers continue their four-game trip out West on Monday night at Golden State, while the Nuggets host Detroit on Saturday evening.

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