Evan Mobley scored 23 points and grabbed 16 rebounds as the Cleveland Cavaliers came from behind to beat the Brooklyn Nets 105-100 on Saturday night, extending their winning streak to 11 games to start the season.
Cleveland became the first team since the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors to start 11-0. The Cavaliers earned their fourth win by less than 10 points, facing their toughest challenge so far after blowing a 15-point lead in the first half.
Donovan Mitchell hit four 3-pointers and scored 15 points as the Cavaliers shot an impressive 75% from the field in the first quarter, taking a 34-28 lead. Mobley’s hook shot gave Cleveland its first double-digit lead at 47-37 with 7:12 left in the second quarter, and Darius Garland’s 3-pointer extended the lead to 52-37 less than a minute later.
Mitchell finished with 22 points, and Garland added 20, while Cleveland outscored Brooklyn 35-18 in the fourth quarter. The Cavaliers also dominated in the paint, scoring 26 of their 56 points in the final 12 minutes. Cleveland shot 54.1% from the field for the game, and 77.8% in the fourth quarter, making 14 of 18 shots.
Cameron Johnson led the Nets with 23 points, while Dennis Schroder and Cam Thomas each scored 22. Brooklyn had taken the Boston Celtics to overtime on Friday.
The Nets held an 82-70 lead going into the fourth and extended it to 96-89 with 4:23 left after a 3-pointer by Johnson following an offensive rebound by Nic Claxton. But the Cavaliers closed strong, outscoring Brooklyn 16-5 the rest of the way.
Cleveland took its first lead since halftime with 2:31 left when Garland made two free throws. After Schroder hit two free throws, Garland answered with a tough runner in the lane with 84 seconds remaining.
After Thomas made an 11-foot jumper with 65 seconds left, Ty Jerome hit a jumper with 46.2 seconds remaining, and Schroder missed a contested 3-pointer with 29.8 seconds left. Mitchell then made two free throws to seal the win for Cleveland.
The Cavaliers led 52-37 on Garland’s 3-pointer with 6:30 left in the second quarter, but the Nets finished the first half with a 17-5 run, cutting Cleveland’s lead to 57-55. Brooklyn came out strong in the third, scoring the first 12 points and outscoring the Cavaliers 27-13 in the quarter, but the Nets struggled to keep up in the final period.
