Mitchell, Mobley help Cavaliers

CLEVELAND (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 31 points, Evan Mobley had 22 points and tied a career high with 19 rebounds, and the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Atlanta Hawks 122-116 on Wednesday night.

James Harden added 21 points for the Cavaliers, who have won four straight and seven of eight. Cleveland (51-29) can finish no lower than fourth place in the Eastern Conference and is 1/2 game behind New York for the third seed.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 25 points and Jonathan Kuminga had 24 off the bench as Atlanta was unable to clinch a playoff berth with the loss. The Hawks (45-35) have dropped their last two after winning four straight. They are one game ahead of Toronto for the fifth seed but only 1 1/2 in front of Orlando to avoid being in the play-in tournament.

It was Mitchell’s 200th regular-season game with at least 20 points in four years with the Cavaliers. He is the fifth player in franchise history to reach that milestone.

Mitchell had his 14th game this season with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Atlanta took a 67-56 lead on a dunk by Dyson Daniels with 57 seconds remaining in the first half before Cleveland went on a 17-3 run over the final minute of the second quarter and first three minutes of the third.

Cleveland outscored Atlanta 44-20 in the third to take a 104-87 advantage into the final 12 minutes. A 3-point play by Dennis Schroder put the Cavaliers up 110-92 before the Hawks answered back with an 18-2 run where Alexander-Walker had seven points.

Kuminga’s dunk got Atlanta within 118-116 and had a chance to tie after Sam Merrill missed a 3-pointer. But Alexander-Walker lost possession of the ball in the paint before Jarrett Allen got the steal. Mitchell then made a pair of free throws to put the Cavaliers up by more than one possession.

The two teams meet Friday in Atlanta for the fourth and final time in the regular season.

Mendoza not coming to Pittsburgh

(AP) — Fernando Mendoza, expected to go first overall to the Las Vegas Raiders, will watch the NFL draft with family and friends in Miami, someone with knowledge of the quarterback’s plans said Tuesday.

That person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because Mendoza hasn’t made his plans public.

The draft will take place in Pittsburgh starting April 23, and many top players will be there to receive congratulations and a hug from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. But players, even those who are drafted first, sometimes prefer to watch from a different location.

Defensive end Travon Walker in 2022 and quarterback Trevor Lawrence in 2021 were the two most recent top picks to watch from afar.

Raiders officials have signaled they would like to ease Mendoza into the starting lineup without expressly saying they will draft the player who won the Heisman Trophy and led Indiana to the national championship.

Las Vegas signed veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins last week likely with the idea of him starting while Mendoza watches and learns from the sideline. Cousins is in Las Vegas for offseason workouts.

Martinez grand slam highlights Guardians

CLEVELAND (AP) — Angel Martinez belted a grand slam and had a career-high four hits, and rookie Chase DeLauter delivered a two-run double to lift the Cleveland Guardians to a 10-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday.

Martinez launched a 374-foot shot to right off Steven Cruz in the eighth inning, when the Guardians scored five times to blow open what was a 5-2 game. Rhys Hoskins had a career-best three doubles as Cleveland tied its season high with 16 hits.

Guardians starter Joey Cantillo (1-0) struck out nine over 5 2/3 innings, allowing one earned run and one unearned run on three hits. Matt Festa worked 1 1/3 scoreless innings for his first save since July 7, 2022, with Seattle.

DeLauter, who leads all rookies with five homers and 11 RBIs, drove in Jose Ramirez and David Fry in the first with a drive off the wall against Cole Ragans (0-3). Hoskins followed with a double that made the Guardians’ lead 3-0.

Ragans had been struck on his left thumb by a comebacker from Ramirez, forcing him to exit two batters later after DeLauter’s double. He was charged with three runs in 2/3 of an inning, later being diagnosed with a contusion.

The Royals pulled within 4-1 in the fourth on an RBI double by Bobby Witt Jr., and then added a run in the fifth when Lane Thomas scored on an error by Steven Kwan. Cleveland committed two errors after only making one in its first 12 games.

Ramirez and Juan Brito also had RBI doubles for the Guardians, who are 3-0-1 in series this season.

Kansas City outfielder Tyler Tolbert made his pitching debut with 2/3 scoreless innings.

Guardians RHP Slade Cecconi (0-1, 5.23 ERA) takes the ball Friday in Atlanta.