The Cavs after being down 12 points to start the 4th quarter come back and knock off the Brooklyn Nets 105-100, extend franchise-record start to 11-0.
After completely destroying the Golden State Warriors on Friday night, the Cavs hosted the Brooklyn Nets for the second night of their back-to-back.
The 1st quarter saw the Cavs' hot shooting continue, as they shot 75% from the floor and 66% from behind the arc. However, the Cavs only led by 6 after the 1st period. The Cavs struggled to take care of the ball, with 6 1st-quarter turnovers that resulted in 5 Brooklyn points.
The Cavs took a 34- 28 lead into the 2nd quarter. The defensive intensity turned up, and the Cavs extended their lead to 15 halfway through the quarter. From the 6:30 mark, the Cavs didn’t score a basket until the 2:09 mark. By that time, the Nets had cut the Cavs lead to 5. Darius Garland hit a 3-pointer in the final 90 seconds of the half to give the Cavs a 57-52 lead. After a pair of Cam Thomas free throws the halftime lead was down to 3, 57-54.
It was a tale of 2 quarters, after shooting the lights out in the 1st quarter, the Cavs went 9 for 22 including a 4:21 scoring drought in the 2nd quarter.
The Cavs' bright spot going into halftime was that three of the Core Four scored double digits (Garland 10, Mitchell 17, Mobley 13).
The Cavs' bench did its part, contributing 14 1st-half points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 steals.
During pregame media availability, Coach Atkinson spoke on the Cavs' ability to play better in the 3rd quarter of games.
“I don't know what our 3rd quarter stats say, [and] I think that's our next hurdle. Obviously, last night was not a good one. I know, you know, this team has struggled in the 3rd quarter. It seems to be the great teams are 3rd quarter teams too. So we got to do a better job coming out of the locker room.”
The 2nd half saw the Cavs' shooting struggles continue. They only made 5 field goals and committed 5 turnovers, which resulted in 5 Nets points.
The Cavs finished the 3rd quarter, scoring their lowest output of any quarter this year with just 13 points. It was only the second time they didn't score more than 20 points (16 3rd quarter points against the Bucks on November 4th, 24)
From the 6:30 mark of the 2nd quarter to the end of the 3rd quarter, the Nets outscored the Cavs 45-18 as they held an 82-70 lead entering the final quarter
The 4th quarter began with the Cavs starting off with a 13-7 run to cut the lead to 89-83. After Caris LeVert made a driving layup, Ty Jerome stole the ball from Nic Claxton. The Cavs found LeVert in the backcourt, and his dunk brought the Cavs within 2.
With the Cavs down 2, the Nets scored 5 unanswered points in which Coach Atkinson responded with a timeout. The Cavs' defense showed up once again, as Claxton and Mobley got tangled up on the floor, resulting in a jump ball.
The Cavs won the tip and regained the lead after two Darius Garland free throws. Cam Thomas, who ended his night with 22 points, committed a turnover after stepping out of bounds due to the Cavs’ defensive pressure. On the next possession, Mobley threw down a dunk that erupted the crowd.
With a chance to tie the game with under 30 seconds in regulation, Dennis Schroder missed a 3 from the left sideline. The Nets would eventually foul Donovan Mitchell and he nailed 2 free throws to give the Cavs a two-possession lead.
Evan Mobley sealed the game with a block on Cam Johnson and the Cavs' stay undefeated beating the Nets 105-100.
After the game Caris LeVert said it was their defense that brought them their 11th victory.
“Just defense. We had some big buckets down the stretch, but we don't win that game without defense down the stretch. We stayed with it. We kept believing. The crowd was great tonight, and they really helped us get the win.”
Coach Atkinson deployed a new 4 guard lineup to close the game (Jerome, Garland, Mitchell, LeVert & Mobley) after he felt nothing was working for them in the 1st half.
"Nothing was working. It was like, we have to do something different. What we were doing was not working. We had to change. Change something. Threw Dean in there at the five. And part of it was to give Evan a rest. He needed a blow. Everyone was like, keep him in. I'm like, we got to give him two minutes, you know, So I really believe in that. Giving guys a little blow so they can finish the game well. And it worked out. Ty was really good at the end of the game. I mean, 35-18. As much as we struggled in that 3rd quarter, that was a heck of a comeback."
The Cavs extended their franchise-record start to 11-0 and remain undefeated. But Coach Atkinson says while they're always trying to win, the streak is in the back of his mind.
"I mean, we're competing, we're trying to win every game, but it's kind of weirdly in the back of your mind when you're out there competing, like, man, we gotta keep this thing going. So we're gonna keep trying to do it."
The Cavs (11-0) hit the road to take on the Chicago Bulls (4-6) on Monday November 11, 2024.