Darius Garland had team highs of 30 points and eight assists as Cleveland rallied for a 109-104 victory over the visiting Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, the Cavaliers’ 15th consecutive win.
Jarrett Allen added 23 points and 13 rebounds as Cleveland matched the longest win streak in franchise history, which the current group set to begin the season. Evan Mobley had 21 points, nine boards and six assists while Max Strus chipped in 10 points for the Cavaliers, who trailed by as many as 18 points.
Cam Thomas’ 27 points led Brooklyn, while Cameron Johnson put up 17 and Ziaire Williams had 14. Noah Clowney added 12 points off the bench for the Nets, who dropped their eighth game in nine tries.
Trailing by 13 at halftime, Cleveland cut its deficit to 10 on a Mobley 3-pointer before Thomas’ 3-pointer, Johnson’s dunk and Williams’ trey pushed Brooklyn’s lead to 71-53.
Cleveland clawed back into the game with a 15-4 spurt, capped with Allen’s putback and Garland’s basket to pull the Cavaliers within seven at the 4:24 mark of the third.
After Thomas’ three-point play on Brooklyn’s final possession of the quarter gave the Nets an 86-75 lead, Craig Porter Jr. drilled a half-court buzzer-beater to cut Cleveland’s deficit to eight entering the final quarter.
Garland converted a three-point play and then turned his steal into a layup, pulling the Cavaliers within one with 8:08 remaining in the fourth. After Jalen Wilson split a pair of free throws to give Brooklyn a 94-92 advantage, baskets from Allen and Isaac Okoro swung the lead to Cleveland for the first time since the opening quarter.
Allen later split two foul shots to give the Cavaliers a 99-97 lead with 4:40 left before Garland and Johnson traded baskets.
After Johnson committed a turnover and later missed a 3-point attempt, Garland’s driving layup gave Cleveland a 103-99 edge with 51.1 seconds left, forcing a Brooklyn timeout. The Cavaliers made all six of their free throw attempts from there, icing the win.
Brooklyn led 29-26 after the first quarter. Clowney then scored Brooklyn’s first seven points of the second quarter before Wilson’s layup extended the Nets’ lead to 38-30. Brooklyn’s first double-digit cushion came on Johnson’s trey with 7:03 remaining in the half.
After Garland’s floater cut Cleveland’s deficit to 53-43, Thomas accounted for Brooklyn’s next 10 points — including a step-back triple to give the Nets a 63-48 edge.
–Field Level Media
