New Orleans Pelicans @ Cleveland Cavaliers: Dec 23, 2025
Pelicans vs Cavaliers final: the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the New Orleans Pelicans 141-118 on December 23, 2025 at Rocket Arena, Cleveland.
Score by Quarter
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pelicans | 22 | 38 | 31 | 27 | 118 |
| Cavaliers | 32 | 37 | 41 | 31 | 141 |
Top Performers
Pelicans
- 26 PTS Zion Williamson
- 7 REB Bryce McGowens
- 5 AST Trey Murphy III
Cavaliers
- 27 PTS Donovan Mitchell
- 9 REB Jarrett Allen
- 8 AST Darius Garland
Pelicans vs Cavaliers Box Score
New Orleans Pelicans
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG | 3PT | FT | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trey Murphy III F | 26 | 14 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6-12 | 2-5 | 0-0 | -16 |
| Bryce McGowens GF | 30 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3-7 | 1-3 | 1-2 | -13 |
| Saddiq Bey F | 26 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5-13 | 1-5 | 0-0 | -5 |
| Derik Queen C | 25 | 21 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7-14 | 2-3 | 5-6 | -11 |
| Jeremiah Fears G | 27 | 11 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3-11 | 1-3 | 4-5 | -7 |
| Bench | |||||||||||
| Zion Williamson F | 20 | 26 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 9-15 | 0-0 | 8-9 | -17 |
| Jose Alvarado G | 25 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2-4 | 2-3 | 0-0 | -18 |
| Micah Peavy G | 13 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2-4 | 1-2 | 0-0 | -9 |
| Karlo Matkovic FC | 10 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1-6 | 0-0 | 0-0 | -11 |
| Yves Missi C | 12 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3-3 | 0-0 | 1-1 | -1 |
| Jordan Hawkins G | 21 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2-5 | 1-2 | 2-2 | -7 |
Cleveland Cavaliers
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG | 3PT | FT | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Merrill G | 25 | 22 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7-12 | 6-10 | 2-2 | +18 |
| Jarrett Allen C | 26 | 14 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6-9 | 1-1 | 1-2 | +15 |
| Darius Garland G | 28 | 10 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4-9 | 2-6 | 0-0 | +14 |
| Donovan Mitchell G | 29 | 27 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 11-16 | 2-6 | 3-4 | +19 |
| Dean Wade FC | 24 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4-10 | 3-8 | 0-0 | +9 |
| Bench | |||||||||||
| Tyrese Proctor G | 8 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0-5 | 0-3 | 0-0 | -8 |
| Jaylon Tyson F | 24 | 18 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8-13 | 2-4 | 0-0 | +15 |
| Craig Porter G | 22 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4-8 | 2-4 | 2-2 | +5 |
| Thomas Bryant CF | 21 | 15 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6-8 | 2-2 | 1-1 | +8 |
| De'Andre Hunter FG | 24 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5-13 | 0-4 | 0-0 | +23 |
| NaeQwan Tomlin F | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1-2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | -3 |
Pelicans vs Cavaliers Recap
Cleveland beat New Orleans 141-118, building a 19-point lead after three quarters and never letting the Pelicans close the gap. The Cavaliers improved to 17-14 while New Orleans fell to 8-23.
Cleveland led 32-22 after one quarter and stretched the advantage to 69-60 by halftime. The Cavaliers' third quarter put the game out of reach. They made 56 of 105 shots from the field and turned the ball over just 13 times, compared to 16 turnovers for New Orleans.
Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 27 points while Jarrett Allen added 9 rebounds. Zion Williamson scored 26 for the Pelicans. Cleveland grabbed 49 rebounds and dished out 40 assists, overwhelming New Orleans in both departments.
The number to know: 13 turnovers. Cleveland's ball control prevented New Orleans from generating fast-break opportunities to stay in the game.
Team Stats
| Pelicans | Stat | Cavaliers |
|---|---|---|
| 43-94 | Field Goals | 56-105 |
| 45.7% | FG % | 53.3% |
| 11-26 | 3-Pointers | 20-49 |
| 42.3% | 3P % | 40.8% |
| 21-25 | Free Throws | 9-11 |
| 84.0% | FT % | 81.8% |
| 43 | Rebounds | 49 |
| 13 | Off. Rebounds | 14 |
| 26 | Assists | 40 |
| 10 | Steals | 8 |
| 2 | Blocks | 6 |
| 16 | Turnovers | 13 |
| 16 | Fouls | 21 |
| 3 | Biggest Lead | 28 |
Four Factors
| Team | Effective FG% | Turnover % | Off. rebound % | FT rate (FTM/FGA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Pelicans | 51.6% | 13.2% | 27.1% | 0.223 |
 Cavaliers | 62.9% | 10.6% | 31.8% | 0.086 |
Dean Oliver's four factors decide most games: shooting, turnovers, offensive rebounding and free throws. Better side highlighted.
Pelicans vs Cavaliers Game Info
- Date & time
- Tuesday, December 23, 20257:30 PM ET / 4:30 PM PT
- TV
- Local TV onlyLocal: Pelicans Gulf Coast Sports & Entertainment Network · Cavaliers Rock Entertainment Sports Network
- Arena
- Rocket ArenaCleveland
- Season
- 2025-26 NBA SeasonRegular season
Pelicans vs Cavaliers Season Stats 2025-26
Regular-season averages; rank of 30 teams.
Recent Form & Head-to-Head
Pelicans last 5
- W vs Mavericks 119-113 Dec 22, 2025
- W vs Pacers 128-109 Dec 20, 2025
- W vs Rockets 133-128 Dec 18, 2025
- W @ Bulls 114-104 Dec 14, 2025
- W vs Trail Blazers 143-120 Dec 11, 2025
Cavaliers last 5
- W vs Hornets 139-132 Dec 22, 2025
- L vs Bulls 125-136 Dec 19, 2025
- L @ Bulls 111-127 Dec 17, 2025
- L vs Hornets 111-119 Dec 14, 2025
- W @ Wizards 130-126 Dec 12, 2025
Previous meetings
- Mar 21, 2026 Cavaliers @ Pelicans 111-106
More NBA Games on Dec 23, 2025
- Final
Brooklyn Nets0-2114
Philadelphia 76ers3-0106Top: Jr. 28 PTSBox score › - Final
Washington Wizards2-1109
Charlotte Hornets2-1126Top: Ball 23 PTS, 9 ASTBox score › - Final
Chicago Bulls1-2126
Atlanta Hawks2-1123Top: Johnson 24 PTS, 10 ASTBox score › - Final
Milwaukee Bucks0-3111
Indiana Pacers1-194Top: Porter 24 PTSBox score › - Final
Toronto Raptors2-0112
Miami Heat0-391Top: Barnes 27 PTSBox score › - Final
New York Knicks0-2104
Minnesota Timberwolves2-0115Top: Towns 40 PTS, 13 REBBox score › - Final
Denver Nuggets1-1130
Dallas Mavericks1-2131Top: Flagg 33 PTS, 9 ASTBox score › - Final
Oklahoma City Thunder2-0110
San Antonio Spurs1-2130Top: Gilgeous-Alexander 33 PTS, 8 ASTBox score › - Final
Memphis Grizzlies2-0137
Utah Jazz1-1128Top: Aldama 37 PTSBox score › - Final
Los Angeles Lakers2-0108
Phoenix Suns1-1132Top: Brooks 25 PTSBox score › - Final
Detroit Pistons2-0136
Sacramento Kings0-2127Top: DeRozan 37 PTS, 8 ASTBox score › - Final
Orlando Magic0-2110
Portland Trail Blazers2-0106Top: Avdija 25 PTS, 8 ASTBox score › - Final
Houston Rockets3-0108
Los Angeles Clippers1-1128Top: Leonard 41 PTSBox score ›
That covers Pelicans vs Cavaliers: score, leaders and box score above. Next: Pelicans host the Nuggets Oct 28; Cavaliers host the Timberwolves Oct 26.
Pelicans vs Cavaliers FAQs
Who won Pelicans vs Cavaliers on Dec 23, 2025?
The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the New Orleans Pelicans 141-118 on Tuesday, December 23, 2025 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland. Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 27 points.
What are the Pelicans and Cavaliers records?
After this game the Pelicans were 8-23 and the Cavaliers were 17-14 this season.
Who was the top scorer in Pelicans vs Cavaliers?
Zion Williamson scored 26 for the Pelicans. Donovan Mitchell scored 27 for the Cavaliers.
Who leads the Pelicans vs Cavaliers season series?
The Cavaliers lead the regular-season series 1-0 this season.
Who won the last Pelicans vs Cavaliers game?
The Cavaliers beat the Pelicans 111-106 on Mar 21, 2026 on the road.
Where was Pelicans vs Cavaliers played?
At Rocket Arena in Cleveland, the home arena of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
What was the score by quarter in Pelicans vs Cavaliers?
Pelicans-Cavaliers: Q1 22-32, Q2 38-37, Q3 31-41, Q4 27-31.
What is next for the Pelicans and Cavaliers?
Pelicans host the Nuggets on Wednesday, October 28 at 8:00 PM ET; Cavaliers host the Timberwolves on Monday, October 26 at 7:00 PM ET.