The rivalry has stayed roughly even across eras: 29-29 since 1996.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Denver Nuggets Head-to-Head
A virtually even rivalry in 102 all-time meetings.
At a glance
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Denver Nuggets insights
Cavaliers won 119-117 on Feb 9, 2026
These teams have never met in the playoffs.
Nuggets built their historical edge pre-1996, winning 25 of 44 decided meetings (57%). In the modern era they are 29-29 against each other (50% Nuggets). Cavaliers currently hold a 4-game winning streak between the teams. Games average a 11.6-point winning margin, with the largest decided blowout coming via Nuggets' 38-point win. Across the last 20 decided meetings Cavaliers hold a 11-9 edge, suggesting the modern balance leans their way. The 2000s produced the deepest sample with 20 recorded meetings, more than any other decade in the series and the era that anchors most of its statistical character. Their first recorded meeting fell in 1976, so the rivalry has now spanned 50 seasons of league history. Most recent result: Cavaliers won 119-117 on Feb 9, 2026. Through the 2020s Cavaliers have led 9-5 between the teams.
Recent Games
| Date | Home | Away | Score | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 9, 2026 | DEN | CLE | 117โ119 | CLE |
| Jan 2, 2026 | CLE | DEN | 113โ108 | CLE |
| Dec 27, 2024 | DEN | CLE | 135โ149 | CLE |
| Dec 5, 2024 | CLE | DEN | 126โ114 | CLE |
| Mar 31, 2024 | DEN | CLE | 130โ101 | DEN |
| Nov 19, 2023 | CLE | DEN | 121โ109 | CLE |
| Feb 23, 2023 | CLE | DEN | 109โ115 | DEN |
| Jan 6, 2023 | DEN | CLE | 121โ108 | DEN |
| Mar 18, 2022 | CLE | DEN | 119โ116 | CLE |
| Oct 25, 2021 | DEN | CLE | 87โ99 | CLE |
All-Time Record
| Season โ | CLE โ | DEN โ | Games โ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025โ26 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2024โ25 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2023โ24 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2022โ23 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 2021โ22 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2020โ21 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 2019โ20 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2018โ19 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 2017โ18 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2016โ17 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Matchup Insights
Frequently Asked Questions: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Denver Nuggets
Methodology & Data Sources
Last updated
Every head-to-head page on SharkBetting is built from verified historical data, not generated prose. Regular-season and playoff game logs are pulled from the balldontlie API (public NBA records from 1946 onward). Playoff series results, arena capacity, and historical context are cross-checked against basketball-reference.com. Player-level top-scorer tables and largest-lead figures use the play-by-play dataset, which has complete coverage only from the 1996-97 season onward; matchups on the page that pre-date 1996 are clearly marked.
Stats are refreshed after every completed game day. If you spot an error, head to our contact page with the game date and we will verify against the source feeds.
Pre-1996 game scores partially derived from the nbadb dataset by Wyatt Walsh, distributed under CC BY-SA 4.0.