Cavs take it to Nets level
DARIUS Garland scored 22 points and delivered 12 assists as the Cleveland Cavaliers stretched their winning streak to five games with a 114-107 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday.
The Cavaliers dominated on offence and defence down the stretch, holding the Nets to two points during the final 3min 43sec of the fourth quarter.
Issac Okoro scored 15 points and Lauri Markkanen, Kevin Love and Jarrett Allen each added 14 points for the Cavs, who avenged two losses to the Nets in November.
“It’s a signature win for us against a high-level team,” Cavs coach JB Bickerstaff said.
“Obviously with reasons why and excuses coming back off that long road trip and all those things, playing against two of the most elite players in our league, and our guys figuring out a way.
“To me, the most impressive thing is you hold a team like that to 19 points in the fourth quarter.”
The Cavaliers’ win comes on a day the NBA honoured the memory of Martin Luther King Jr with special ceremonies and video tributes throughout the 14 games.
Rookie Evan Mobley tallied 12 points for the Cavs in front of 18,100 fans in Cleveland.
The Nets were playing their first full game without NBA leading scorer Kevin Durant, who is sidelined with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee. Part-time Nets player Kyrie Irving led all scorers with 27 points but made just two baskets in the fourth quarter when it mattered the most.
Irving, who is unvaccinated, is barred from playing all but the Nets’ away games because of New York’s Covid-19 rules.
“You can’t replace Kev,” Irving said.
“It’s impossible. We just faced that reality right now.”
Irving said he had no regrets about missing games because of his Covid-19 beliefs.
“I’m not going to ever try to convince anyone of anything or any of that, I’m just standing rooted in what I believe in … I’m protected by all the doctors I’ve talked to. And I just stand rooted,” Irving said.
Cleveland never trailed in the contest after Markkanen hit an uncontested three-point shot with just over three minutes remaining.
The Nets missed five consecutive shots until Irving made a lay-up with 53 seconds left to up the score to 110-107.
In Florida, CJ McCollum scored 16 points in his first game back from a collapsed lung as the Portland Trail Blazers beat Orlando Magic 98-88.
McCollum missed 17 games over six weeks after being injured December 4.
“I worked extremely hard over the last two weeks to recondition, build my body back and getting up shots. And I think you can tell,” McCollum said.