Evan Mobley's historic performance helped the Cleveland Cavaliers take down the Sacramento Kings, 123-118.
Evan Mobley put together one of his most complete games of the season, and of his career, in the Cleveland Cavaliers' victory over the Sacramento Kings on Friday evening, 123-118.
Kenny Atkinson even called Mobley’s dominance reminiscent of a performance from Hall of Fame center Shaquille O’Neal.
Mobley even made NBA history after such an incredible game. He’s now the third player in NBA history to finish with 29 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists, zero turnovers, and four blocks. The other two players were actually Shaw (Nov. 26, 1999) and Hakeem Olajuwon (Mar. 3, 1990).
However, Mobley is the first player to accomplish this stat line while playing under 40 minutes. Shaq played 41 minutes to record that stat line, Olajuwon played 40 minutes, and Mobley was on the floor for 35 minutes.
“Man, he was like Shaquille tonight. I mean, seriously, like, seriously, the way he was, jst rim, rim, rim, um, and then dominatedthe defensive side,” said Kenny Atkinson about Mobley after the game.
“That was one of the most dominant performances that I've seen from him, that was, and we needed it… Like, he was dominant tonight.”
Jan 23, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley (4) drives to the basket against Sacramento Kings forward Precious Achiuwa (9) during the second half at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn ImagesMobley took the high road after the game and was told that Atkinson compared to Shaq. Mobley jokingly responded, “I don’t know about that.”
“I definitely felt dominant out there. I definitely felt like I could get to most of the shots I wanted to get to, getting to the paint and score at a high rate," continued the forward.
Mobley has certainly had an up-and-down season, but when he plays as he did against the Kings, he’s proving why the Cavaliers view him as a cornerstone to their franchise.
The question now is: how can the Cavaliers get performance like this from Mobley on a more consistent basis?
Cleveland’s head coach said he believes it can be circumstantial, and a lot of it has to do with Mobley stepping and seeing more usage with playmakers such as Darius Garland, Sam Merrill, and Max Strus still out.
Hopefully, as the season goes on, this won’t be the last dominant performance we see from Mobley. The Cavaliers will need more of them if they hope to make a deep playoff run this spring.
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