Cavaliers vs Nets Comes Down to the Last Eight Seconds
The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Brooklyn Nets 125-121 in their home opener, and the Cavaliers vs Nets scoreline compresses a game that changed shape twice. Cleveland led by 22 points, held a 104-82 cushion with 9:29 left, and was up just four with 5.2 seconds remaining.
Donovan Mitchell scored 22 points and Jarrett Allen added 21 points and eight rebounds for Cleveland. Evan Mobley posted 20 points and 10 rebounds, Jaylon Tyson scored 15 off the bench, and James Harden finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
Peyton Watson scored 11 points in his home debut. The Cavaliers were coming off a 114-106 loss to LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday, a game in which they squandered a 29-point lead.
Brooklyn remains winless. The Nets arrived from a 110-103 home loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, when Julius Randle and Michael Porter Jr. combined for 59 points and were the only Nets in double figures.
Mikel Brown Jr. Injury Update and Brooklyn's Rotation
Brown, the sixth overall pick, struck Mitchell on the head in the first quarter. Mitchell lay under the basket and the game was briefly delayed. Brown is on a minutes restriction indefinitely because of a left ankle injury and will not play Sunday at home against the Indiana Pacers.
Coach Jordi Fernandez framed the plan as a long build rather than a short absence. Brown "is on a long-term plan to build him up properly (physically)," Fernandez said, according to the report. No return date was given, and the restriction is tied specifically to the left ankle.
That leaves Brooklyn's guard rotation short one ball-handler one day after a Saturday night game. The Nets already leaned on Randle and Porter for nearly all of their scoring in the Charlotte loss, and Brown's absence removes a third option from the top of the offense.
Day'Ron Sharpe Ejected as the Fouls Pile Up
Day'Ron Sharpe posted seven points, eight rebounds and six personal fouls before he was ejected. Both flagrant fouls came on Harden 3-point attempts, and the second one triggered an automatic ejection. Egor Demin and Watson also fouled out.
Porter fouled out on the possession immediately after his 3-pointer cut the lead to 123-121 with 8.1 seconds left. Sam Merrill made two free throws at the other end to push Cleveland up four with 5.2 seconds remaining. One made three, one foul-out, two free throws: that is the entire finish.
Egor Demin's Fourth Quarter Keeps Brooklyn Close
Demin scored 15 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter and made four 3-pointers in the period. He also handed out six assists. Porter finished with 28 points and nine rebounds, Randle had 23, and Chaney Johnson chipped in 10 for Brooklyn.
Cleveland's largest first-half lead was 68-54, reached on a Watson layup heading into the break. Mobley, Allen and Porter each scored 13 in the first half, and Harden had seven points, six rebounds and five assists. Mario Hezonja hit a 3-pointer at the first-quarter buzzer to make it 35-30.
What to Watch Next for the Nets
Brooklyn hosts the Indiana Pacers on Sunday without Brown, and the minutes he would have played have to go somewhere against a team that will test transition defense. The Nets have lost their first two games and have not yet found a scoring source beyond Randle and Porter.
Cleveland has its first win, but the fourth-quarter pattern is the same one that cost it Thursday: a large lead reduced to a single possession. The Cavaliers closed this one at the free-throw line rather than with a stop.
The original report is from gmanetwork.com.
