On a night buzzing with anticipation in Sacramento, the Cleveland Cavaliers delivered a thrilling 132-126 victory over the Sacramento Kings at Golden1 Center, marking James Harden’s much-awaited debut in a Cavaliers uniform. The matchup, played on February 7, 2026, had all the makings of a late-night NBA spectacle: a marquee trade acquisition, a desperate home team looking to snap an extended losing streak, and a flurry of offensive fireworks that left fans on the edge of their seats until the final seconds.
Coming into the contest, the Cavaliers were heavily favored, with sportsbooks listing them as 13.5 to 14.5-point favorites and the over/under hovering around 233 points. Cleveland, riding high as the NBA’s fifth-ranked scoring team with an average of 119.4 points per game, had won eight of their last ten and sat securely in fourth place in the Eastern Conference at 31-21. The Kings, meanwhile, were mired in an 11-game losing streak, their record a dismal 12-41, and had surrendered the fourth-most points per game in the league at 120.4.
All eyes, however, were on James Harden, whose status was questionable up until tip-off due to the trade pending designation. When the lineups were announced, it was official: Harden would make his Cavaliers debut, joining Donovan Mitchell, Sam Merrill, Jaylon Tyson, and Jarrett Allen in the starting five. The excitement was palpable as fans wondered—how would "The Beard" fit alongside Cleveland’s established stars?
The answer, at least early on, was: with some growing pains. The Cavaliers’ four-guard lineup struggled defensively, often failing to secure rebounds or keep up with Sacramento’s initial offensive burst. Both Harden and Mitchell seemed hesitant, unsure who should take the reins on offense, which led to a somewhat stagnant attack. Sacramento capitalized, jumping out to a double-digit lead in the first quarter as the home crowd roared.
But the Cavaliers’ depth soon showed. Staggered rotations—keeping either Harden or Mitchell on the court with the bench—helped Cleveland claw back, and by halftime, they’d edged ahead by two. The Kings, undeterred, came out firing after the break, quickly reclaiming a double-digit advantage as the Cavs’ offense again sputtered. That’s when Donovan Mitchell took over, pouring in 12 points in the third quarter to keep his team within striking distance.
As the fourth quarter unfolded, the game looked to be slipping away from Cleveland. With under four minutes remaining, Sacramento held a seven-point lead, and the Golden1 Center faithful began to sense an upset. Then, the Cavaliers flipped the switch. Jarrett Allen muscled in two points, and Harden—showing flashes of his MVP form—drilled back-to-back three-pointers, giving Cleveland a one-point edge with just over two minutes to play.
The Kings refused to fold. DeMar DeRozan, one of Sacramento’s few consistent bright spots during their losing skid, answered with a clutch three to tie the game at 42 seconds. But Mitchell, as he’s done so many times this season, forced a foul on the next possession and calmly sank both free throws, nudging the Cavaliers ahead once more. Sacramento missed their final three shots, and Cleveland secured the win, with the final buzzer met by a mixture of relief and elation from the visiting bench.
Despite some early awkwardness, the Harden-Mitchell pairing shone brightest when it mattered most. The duo combined for 32 of Cleveland’s 39 fourth-quarter points, with Harden notching 15 in the final frame alone. "For as awkward as the Mitchell and Harden fit was in the first three quarters, they looked good together down the stretch," observed one analyst, capturing the sentiment of many in the arena.
Harden’s stat line was impressive for a debut: 23 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including 5-of-8 from beyond the arc, along with eight assists and two rebounds. While he looked a step slow on defense at times, his offensive gravity and passing vision were on full display—especially when finding Jarrett Allen for easy buckets. "You could see how Harden can help this team, particularly down the stretch," noted a postgame report. Allen himself was a force, finishing with 29 points on a blistering 11-of-12 shooting and grabbing 10 rebounds. Mitchell, as ever, was the engine, tallying 35 points—17 of them in the fourth quarter alone—to cement his status as one of the league’s premier closers.
On the Kings’ side, Nique Clifford led the way with 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting, while Westbrook contributed 21 points and nine assists. DeRozan’s late-game heroics nearly tipped the scales, but ultimately, Sacramento’s defensive woes and inability to execute in crunch time extended their losing streak to a franchise-worst 12 games. The team’s injury situation didn’t help matters, with Domantas Sabonis sitting out due to lower back soreness and De’Andre Hunter still recovering from an eye injury. Keegan Murray and Zach LaVine remained sidelined, forcing the Kings to lean heavily on DeRozan and Malik Monk throughout the contest.
The game also featured several intriguing subplots. With the recent trade deadline, the Kings and Cavaliers had swapped guards—Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder heading to Cleveland in exchange for Hunter. While Hunter wasn’t available for Sacramento, Ellis and Schroder provided valuable minutes off the Cavs’ bench, underscoring the immediate impact of deadline deals in a league where depth is often the difference between victory and defeat.
For Cleveland, the win marked their third straight and eighth in the last nine outings, pushing their Western Conference road trip record to 3-1. The Cavaliers’ offense continues to hum, having now eclipsed the 125-point mark in 18 games this season. With Harden now in the fold, expectations are sky-high. "Adding Harden to the mix will be a fascinating addition to the rotation and could raise the team’s ceiling even higher," predicted analysts before the game, and the early returns suggest they may be right.
Looking ahead, the Cavaliers will wrap up their road trip with a challenging matchup against the Denver Nuggets on Monday, February 9, 2026, with tip-off set for 9 p.m. As for Sacramento, the search for answers continues. Their losing streak now at 12, the Kings will need to regroup, get healthy, and find a way to tighten up defensively if they hope to salvage what’s left of a difficult season.
On a night defined by new beginnings and late-game heroics, it was the Cavaliers’ resilience—and Harden’s timely arrival—that stole the show in Sacramento. If this debut is any indication, Cleveland’s ambitions in the Eastern Conference just got a whole lot bigger.