Despite being down four starters and their backup center, the Denver Nuggets gave the Cleveland Cavaliers all they could handle. The Cavaliers ultimately pulled

The Cleveland Cavaliers extended their winning streak to three games, but it wasn’t pretty. They needed 33 points from Donovan Mitchell to narrowly escape with a 113-108 win over a Denver Nuggets team that was playing without four of their five opening night starters.

The Denver Nuggets face the Cleveland Cavaliers Friday at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.

The Cavaliers are looking to start 2026 hot and continue the winning form they had at the end of 2025 against an injury ridden Western Conference opponent.

Jamal Murray is one of the top scorers for the Denver Nuggets. The athlete joined the NBA in 2016 after being drafted by the Nuggets as the 7th overal.

Despite a few groans and murmurs, Cleveland won its first game of 2026, 113-108, over the woefully undermanned Denver Nuggets Friday night. It’s the Cavaliers’ third straight victory.

According to NBA insider Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, the Nuggets had trade talks with the Hawks centering around both De'Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic before both were inevitably moved to other destinations.