Evan Mobley scored 19 of his 21 points in the second half, and Caris LeVert scored all 19 of his points in the first half, as the Cleveland Cavaliers took control early and easily beat the Brooklyn Nets 130-101 on Monday night.
Cleveland’s lead grew to as much as 37 points, improving their record to 23-4 for the best start in team history, and they are 8-4 since winning their first 15 games.
Donovan Mitchell added 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting and was the only starter to miss more than two shots. Georges Niang scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds, Jarrett Allen and Issac Okoro each had 12 points, and Darius Garland added 11. The Cavs shot 53.1 percent, made 19 three-pointers, and scored 130 points for the seventh time this season.
Mobley was 6-of-7 shooting after halftime and did most of his scoring after Cleveland had a 72-40 lead at the break. He scored 10 points in the third quarter to help the Cavs extend their lead to 104-77 going into the fourth.
LeVert, coming off the bench, made his first five three-pointers in the first quarter, helping Cleveland build a big lead.
The former Net hit two threes in 28 seconds during a 16-0 run, then added another three in the last minute to give Cleveland a 37-17 lead after the first quarter.
Cleveland went on a 15-point run midway through the second quarter, and LeVert hit two more three-pointers in the final 2:44, helping the Cavs extend their lead to 72-40 by halftime.
The Nets, who traded Dennis Schroder to the Golden State Warriors on Sunday, lost for the sixth time in their last seven games after winning three straight from November 24-27. Brooklyn also allowed at least 130 points for the second game in a row and for the fourth time this season.
Cameron Johnson led the Nets with 22 points, Day’Ron Sharpe added 15, and Jalen Wilson contributed 13. Ben Simmons scored 10 points and had eight assists but also committed six of Brooklyn’s 22 turnovers, which led to 34 points for Cleveland.
