Mitchell, Mobley help Cavaliers beat Spurs 114-113, close within a game of sealing East's best mark

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points, Evan Mobley added 25 points and 10 rebounds and the Cleveland Cavaliers held on to beat the San Antonio Spurs 114-113 on Friday to move a game away from clinching the best record in the Eastern Conference.

Cleveland never trailed and led by 23 points in winning its third straight. The Cavaliers have won six of seven and are a win or a Boston loss from clinching the East's best record for the sixth time in franchise history.

Despite the early dominance, Cleveland had to hold on to beat San Antonio.

Spurs forward Harrison Barnes’ 3-pointer with 29 seconds remaining cut Cleveland’s lead to 114-113.

The 3-pointer came between missed 3-pointers by Mitchell and Darius Garland in the final 43 seconds.

Barnes' layup attempt failed to drop in as time expired to preserve Cleveland's victory.

Devin Vassell had 24 points to lead San Antonio and Barnes added 23.

San Antonio has one home game remaining in a season that began with hope but devolved quickly after Gregg Popovich suffered a mild stroke on Nov. 2 followed by season-ending injuries to Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox.

Cavaliers: Max Strus was 1 for 5 on 3-pointers to finish with three points in 32 minutes. Strus has failed to score in double figures in six of his last seven games.

Spurs: Veteran point guard Chris Paul had nine points and eight assists in 30 minutes. Paul is vying to play every game for only the second time in his career. He played all 82 games for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2015.

San Antonio outscored Cleveland 31-23 in the final quarter to turn a 23-point deficit into a one-possession game in the final seconds.

Cleveland was 22 for 51 on 3-pointers, including 15 for 30 in the first half.

Cavaliers: host Sacramento on Sunday, and Spurs play at Portland to open a four-game trip.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley celebrates a three-point basket during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs, Friday, April 4, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson, right, speaks with referee Justin Van Duyne during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs, Friday, April 4, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland celebrates a three-point basket during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs, Friday, April 4, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)

San Antonio Spurs forward Sandro Mamukelashvili goes to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers' Isaac Okoro (35) and Sam Merrill (5) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, April 4, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)

San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson (0) goes to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers' Jarrett Allen (31) and De'Andre Hunter (12) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, April 4, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)

San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) shoots against Cleveland Cavaliers' Max Strus, top left, and Evan Mobley (4) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, April 4, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)

San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell (24) reacts after a missed shot in the closing seconds of an NBA basketball game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Friday, April 4, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) dunks during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs, Friday, April 4, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — A federal judge opened the final hearing for a landmark $2.8 billion settlement that will impact every corner of college athletics by saying she will not be granting formal approval on Monday.

U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken said she would hear from attorneys and some of those objecting to the plan before adjourning.

“I’m not going to rule from the bench,” Wilken said at the start of the hearing.

In addition to comments from attorneys, testimony was expected from critics of the sprawling plan that was hashed out last year by attorneys representing the NCAA and other defendants and those representing thousands of current and former athletes. LSU gymnast and influencer Olivia Dunne was among the 18 people scheduled to testify, though she was expected to appear via Zoom.

Wilken already has granted preliminary approval of the settlement involving the NCAA and the nation’s five largest conferences. The changes would begin July 1, clearing the way for each school to share up to $20.5 million each with their athletes.

Universities across the country have been busy making plans, under the assumption Wilken will put the terms into effect.

“We're going to have a plan going into July 1, then we're probably going to spend the next year figuring out how good that plan is and how we need to modify it going forward,” said Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin, whose department is among the biggest in the country and includes a Gators men's basketball team playing for the national title Monday night against Houston.

The so-called House settlement, named after Arizona State swimmer Grant House, actually decides three similar lawsuits that were bundled into one. The defendants are the NCAA and the Southeastern, Big Ten, Atlantic Coast, Big 12 and Pac-12 conferences, all of whom have been touting the settlement as the best path forward for their industry.

“It's a huge step forward for college sports, especially at the highest level," said NCAA President Charlie Baker, whose organization continues to seek antitrust protections from Congress. “My biggest problem with the way the whole thing works right now is the schools have been removed from the primary relationship with the student-athletes.”

The most ground-shifting part of the settlement calls on schools from the biggest conferences to pay some 22% of their revenue from media rights, ticket sales and sponsorships — which equals about $20.5 million in the first year — directly to athletes for use of their name, images and likeness (NIL).

Still allowed would be NIL payments to athletes from outside sources, which is what triggered the seismic shift that college sports has endured over the last four years. For instance, Cooper Flagg of Duke reportedly makes $4.8 million in NIL deals from groups affiliated with the school and others.

The settlement calls for a “clearinghouse” to make sure any NIL deal worth more than $600 is pegged at “fair market value." It's an attempt to prevent straight “pay for play” deals, though many critics believe the entire new structure is simply NIL masquerading as that.

Another key element is the $2.8 billion in back damages to athletes who played sports between 2016 and 2024 and were not entitled to the full benefits of NIL at the time they attended schools. Those payments are being calculated by a formula that will favor football and basketball players and will be doled out by the NCAA and the conferences.

The settlement also calls for replacing scholarship limits with roster limits. The effect would be to allow every athlete to be eligible for a scholarship while cutting the number of spots available.

There will be winners and losers under such a formula, though some fear it could signal the end of the walk-on athlete in college sports and also imperil smaller sports programs that train and populate the U.S. Olympic team.

AP College Football Writer Eric Olson contributed. Pells reported from San Antonio.

AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports

South Carolina forward Chloe Kitts (21) reacts as she sits on the bench during the second half of the national championship game against UConn at the Final Four of the women's NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Florida's Alijah Martin (15) dunks the ball against Auburn during the second half in the national semifinals at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

UConn center Jana El Alfy (8) and UConn guard Paige Bueckers (5) react during the first half of a national semifinal Final Four game against UCLA during the women's NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Auburn guard Tahaad Pettiford (0) moves on the court against Michigan State during the second half in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)