Cleveland Cavaliers Storm Back To Hold Off Brooklyn Nets
James Harden returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers lineup on Sunday after fracturing his right thumb just days earlier, and he produced. Harden dropped 22 points on 5-of-9 shooting, knocked down 4 of 7 from three, and added 9 rebounds and 8 assists as the Cavaliers survived a gutsy Brooklyn Nets squad 106-102 at Barclays Center.
Cavaliers Find a Way Despite a Rocky Second Quarter
Cleveland came out of the gates strong, jumping out to a 29-24 lead after one quarter. Then Brooklyn happened. The Nets, who entered Sunday riding a seven-game losing streak and playing without both Egor Demin (foot) and Nic Claxton (thumb), put together one of their best quarters of the season in the second frame, outscoring the Cavaliers 28-17 to take a 56-42 lead into halftime.
To Cleveland’s credit, they didn’t fold. The Cavaliers chipped away in the third quarter and came out firing in the fourth, eventually building an 8-point lead with just over three minutes to go. But Brooklyn refused to go away.
The Nets clawed back to within three on a Nolan Traore basket with 28.6 seconds left, then within one after Danny Wolf knocked down two of three free throws with 9.2 seconds on the clock. But Dennis Schroder iced it from the line, and Evan Mobley added a pair of free throws in the final seconds to seal the 106-102 win.
Cavaliers Stars Step Up With Mitchell Sidelined
With Donovan Mitchell sitting out for a third straight game due to a groin injury, the Cavaliers needed others to carry the offensive load. They answered. Jarrett Allen was terrific down low, finishing with 20 points on an efficient night. Mobley chipped in 16 points and hauled down 13 rebounds. Sam Merrill added 15 points off the bench, and Schroder contributed 10.
But the story was always going to be Harden. A near triple-double while playing with a fractured bone in his hand. Go ahead and explain that one. Harden also passed a pretty significant milestone. With one of those eight free throw makes, he moved to third all-time in NBA history in free throws made, surpassing the 8,532 mark. Only LeBron James (8,810) and Karl Malone (9,787) sit ahead of him on the all-time list.
Nets Young Core Refuses To Quit
The Brooklyn Nets were pretty good on Sunday, but this was not the effort of a team that has given up on the season. Wolf had a career-high 23 points to go with 9 rebounds and 5 assists. The former Michigan big man is developing into a real NBA player, and fast. Michael Porter Jr. led all scorers with 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting, looking every bit like a guy who belongs on a winning team. Traore added 17 points and continued to flash the playmaking instincts that made him a lottery pick. Grant Nelson, in just his second game as a Net, chipped in 11 points and three blocks.
Head Coach Jordi Fernandez has been tinkering with his bench unit, and on Sunday, it looked like he may have stumbled onto something. Nelson and Wolf anchored a second-unit lineup that completely flipped the momentum in the second quarter. It didn’t hold up. But the direction is clear. This rebuild is not going to take as long as people think.
What’s Next For the Cavaliers
Cleveland improves to 38-24 and 12-1 in their last 13 meetings against the Nets. The Cavaliers now sit comfortably in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, right on the heels of the Philadelphia 76ers, and are building toward a postseason run that looked a lot shakier before the Harden trade.
Up next for Cleveland: a home date with the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday. For Brooklyn, it’s a road trip to Miami to face the Heat. The Cavaliers got the win they needed. Harden made history doing it. And somewhere, Malone is watching his record get a little less safe.
