Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Brooklyn Nets 118-95 on Thursday night, their eighth consecutive victory and 16th in 17 games.
Evan Mobley had 14 points and 12 rebounds, Jarrett Allen had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Darius Garland also had 14 points.
Cleveland shot 53% from the field, had a 45-33 rebounding advantage, and assisted on 25 of the 41 made baskets in the second game of a back-to-back after beating Washington on Wednesday night.
“You have fun because of the results, and you can enjoy it because of the results and what our message to the guys is,” said Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff. “You can have fun in the competition, you can have fun supporting one another, pulling for one another, doing the gritty, dirty things, sharing the ball.”
Mikal Bridges led Brooklyn with 26 points in the team’s third straight loss. Cam Thomas contributed 17 points. The Nets have lost all three meetings with Cleveland, including one in France on January 11.
“It started pretty early for them again,” Brooklyn coach Jacque Vaughn explained. “Just like in Paris, Mitchell started off aggressive and really got it going early, kind of set the tone, was able to do that again tonight.”
The Nets were very active at the trade deadline on Thursday. Spencer Dinwiddie was traded to Toronto for Dennis Schroder and Thaddeus Young, while Royce O’Neale was shipped to Phoenix for Keita Bates-Diop, Jordan Goodwin, and two second-round picks. They also purchased Memphis’ rights to Vanja Marinkovic.
Cleveland was leading 59-51 early in the second half when Brooklyn’s Ben Simmons slammed Allen to the floor. Allen responded by racing past Mitchell and pushing Simmons back. Both players were issued technical fouls.
The Cavs answered with a 21-0 run, limiting the Nets to 0-for-9 shooting and forcing two turnovers. Allen capped the run with a hook shot to make the score 80-51.
“It was just the right moment,” Allen explained. “It’s a day-by-day situation. I’m just a guy who tries to maintain composure, but when buttons are pushed, there is revenge.”
