Cavs will rest now after 3-OT home loss

They lug a 12-46 record into the All-Star break.

D’Angelo Russell CLEVELAND — waited until the start of Wednesday’s third overtime to catch fire, but when he did it was enough to help the Brooklyn Nets hand the Cleveland Cavaliers a 148139 triple-overtime loss at Quicken Loans Arena.

DeMarre Carroll’s 3-pointer as time expired in double-overtime tied the score at 128 apiece and forced a third extra session. Russell then poured in nine consecutive points as the Nets built an eight-point advantage. Russell, who started the game 1-for-11 from the floor, finished with 36 points, including 14 in the third overtime.

Cleveland (12-46) had four frontcourt players foul out of the game, including starters Larry Nance Jr. and David Nwaba, leaving coach Larry Drew to play four guards for most of the final overtime.

“I had no intention of playing four (guards) out there against that team,” Drew said. “But we literally just ran out of bodies. I applaud our guys with the effort they gave being shorthanded, having to play a smaller lineup.”

The Cavaliers were in position to win after Jordan Clarkson hit a pull-up jumper and two free throws in the second overtime to go up by three before Carroll’s buzzer-beater. It was Cleveland’s first overtime game this season and first triple-overtime affair in 39 years. Clarkson said the team tried to leave it all on the court knowing the eight-day All-Star break was on the other side.

“We didn’t expect to go to three overtimes,” Clarkson said. “That’s the most minutes I’ve played in my career. But I’m in shape. I’ll go all day. It’s part of the game.”

Clarkson became the Cavs’ first 40-point scorer of the season when he drained his seventh 3-pointer of the game with 1:05 left. Prior to Clarkson’s career-high 42-point effort, no Cavalier had scored more than 30 in a game this season.

But Russell, Clarkson’s teammate when the two played for the Los Angeles Lakers, rallied the Nets after his woeful start. Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson credited the All-Star guard for persevering despite his early shooting troubles.

“He was really struggling,” Atkinson said of Russell. “That’s a sign of an All-Star. You can struggle the whole game and come back like that, hit some big shots. Real credit to his mental fortitude and resiliency.”

Cleveland was sparked by Marquese Chriss off the bench. Chriss entered the fourth quarter with three points but finished with 23 on 9-for-16 shooting. He sank back-to-back 3-pointers with 2:16 left in the second overtime period to put the Cavs in front by three before fouling out.

“Having Marquese out of the game toward the end hurt us a little bit,” Clarkson said. “He was doing a good job of playing hard on the screens, switching and keeping the guard in front of him, making them shoot tough shots over him.”

Chriss electrified the crowd with a dunk over Brooklyn’s Jarret Allen that gave Cleveland a two-point lead with less than three minutes remaining in regulation. His jumper with 1:12 left in the fourth again put the Cavs ahead at 109-107 before a layup by Russell tied the score.

“(Allen) was under the rim,” Chriss said of the dunk. “I just made a good play.”

Cleveland heads to the All-Star break with a 12-46 record and 1.5 games out of the Eastern cellar. The Cavaliers host Phoenix at 7 p.m. on Feb. 21.