Brooklyn Nets – Another night, another loss. The Brooklyn Nets are starting the season 0-2, and for fans, it’s starting to feel like déjà vu.
At Barclays Center on Friday night. The Cleveland Cavaliers walked out with a 131-124 win, powered by Donovan Mitchell’s 35 points and Jarrett Allen’s 22. It was Cleveland’s first win of the season after falling to the Knicks two nights earlier. Meanwhile, the Nets are still searching for theirs.
Cam Thomas tried to carry Brooklyn. He scored 33 points, and Michael Porter Jr. added 31. However, it wasn’t enough to erase the deep hole they dug in the third quarter.
The Cavs led by 25 points in the second half before the Nets finally woke up in the fourth. Ziaire Williams hit a 3-pointer to make it 121-115 with 5:18 left. Moments later, the game was briefly stopped when a fan ran onto the court. An odd moment that briefly shifted the momentum.
When play resumed, Brooklyn pushed again. Egor Demin, the Nets rookie, buried a clutch 3-pointer to cut it to 121-120 with 3:48 remaining.
But that hope was short-lived. The Nets missed several chances down the stretch. Cleveland capitalized with a 6-0 run to push the lead back to 127-120 in the final minute.
Mitchell, efficient all night (10-for-15 shooting), made the big plays when it counted. Meanwhile, Cleveland’s hot hand from deep — 18-of-42 from three-point range, including 9-of-11 in the third quarter. This was clearly too much for a team like the Brooklyn Nets to overcome.