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Cavs score, recap vs. Nets | Cavaliers secure win No. 15 in a row in comeback fashion
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- Cavs score, recap vs. Nets | Cavaliers secure win No. 15 in a row in comeback fashion
CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers were able to extend their winning streak to 15 games Tuesday night against the Brooklyn Nets at Rocket Arena with another comeback win, 109-104.
The Cavs (55-10) are still in their third winning streak of at least 12 games this season. They took down the Nets without the services of Donovan Mitchell , De'Andre Hunter and Ty Jerome , who were all sidelined.
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The win clinched the Central Division .
Here's how Tuesday night's game unfolded.
Cavaliers beat the Nets
The Cavs have beaten the Nets 109-104. The final 40 seconds came down to free throws.
Darius Garland was sent to the line and made both attempts before Cam Thomas , at the other, buried a nice step-back 3. Max Strus was then fouled and hit both free throws with 21 seconds left
With 14 seconds left, Cam Johnson was fouled and hit both free throws to make it 107-104.
After Strus again hit both attempts to push it out to 109-104, a missed 3 at the buzzer ended it.
Darius Garland layup extends Cavs lead in final minute
Darius Garland found some driving room to the hoop and dropped in a layup to put the Cavs up 103-99 with 51.8 seconds left.
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Garland has been outstanding for the Cavs this quarter, already with 16 points and two steals in the fourth alone. He has 28 points, four rebounds and eight assists for the game.
Jarrett Allen jumps into crowd going after rebound
With 2:29 to go, Jarrett Allen was going after a Cavs miss. He got the ball, but as he did, his momentum carried him a few rows into the stands behind the hoop. Nic Claxton was called for a foul on the play.
Cavaliers, Nets score update in fourth quarter
The Cavs are holding onto a 99-97 lead with 3:09 left in the fourth quarter.
Darius Garland (24 points), Jarrett Allen (23) and Evan Mobley (21) are all over 20 points tonight with Mitchell, Hunter and Jerome sidelined.
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Cavaliers re-take lead over Nets in fourth quarter
The Cavs have re-taken the lead.
Tied 94-94 after a Jarrett Allen layup, Isaac Okoro drove to the hoop and, through some contact, got a layup to fall off the glass, putting Cleveland ahead 96-94 midway through the fourth quarter.
The next trip down the floor, Okoro dove for a loose ball and appeared to be in some discomfort, but he remained in the game and even came away with a steal that led to a Darius Garland layup in transition.
Cavs cut Nets lead to 1 in fourth quarter behind Darius Garland surge
The fourth quarter has been all Cavs so far, as Cleveland has sliced Brooklyn's lead to one, 93-92, with 7:54 left.
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The Cavs have out-scored the Nets 14-7 in the fourth thus far, with most of that coming from Darius Garland, who has 10 points, an assist and two steals in the last four minutes of play.
Craig Porter Jr. hits half-court shot as third quarter expires; Cavs trail Nets entering fourth quarter
Down 11 with time running out on the third quarter, Craig Porter Jr. buried a half-court shot , banking it in, to trim the Nets' lead to 86-78 entering the fourth quarter.
Porter now has seven points, and he's hit only one 3-pointer tonight, but he sure made it count.
Cavs trim Nets lead in third quarter
The Cavaliers have taken an 18-point deficit and cut it down to seven, 75-68, with 4:30 left in the third quarter.
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The Cavs have been able to chip away primarily thanks to second-chance points. Jarrett Allen cleaned up a missed Darius Garland 3 with a put-back layup, and the next time down the floor, Craig Porter Jr. corralled an offensive rebound and found Garland, who got a floater to drop.
Cavaliers trail Nets by double-digits at halftime
This one has been a clunker for the Cavs, who trail the Nets 63-50 at halftime.
Cleveland is shooting just 45 percent from the floor and 26 percent from 3-point range. The absences of Mitchell, Hunter and Jerome within the rotation is being felt.
Evan Mobley has been terrific, scoring a team-high 14 points on 6-for-7 shooting from the floor, but outside of him, the Cavs have largely struggled to find much efficiency.
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Cam Thomas had a strong second quarter and is now up to a game-high 16 points with two assists and a rebound.
Who's winning the Cavs-Nets game?
The Nets are pouring it on the short-handed Cavs.
With five minutes left in the second quarter, Brooklyn has opened up a 52-38 lead, putting the Cavs' 14-game win streak in serious doubt.
Brooklyn is shooting 54 percent from the floor, and the Nets have hit nine of their 19 3-point attempts. They've also had a balanced attack — Williams still leads the way with nine points, but the Nets now have six players with at least six points.
Cavs trail Nets after first quarter
The Nets lead the Cavs 29-26 after the first quarter of play.
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With Donovan Mitchell, De'Andre Hunter and Ty Jerome all out tonight, Kenny Atkinson is gonna end up with some interesting rotations. Craig Porter Jr. will see an uptick in minutes and played nearly half the first quarter, scoring four points and dishing out an assist.
Evan Mobley has eight points and three assists. Jarrett Allen has six points thus far.
Cavs, Nets score: Cleveland, Brooklyn tied in first quarter
The Cavs and Nets have opened tonight's game with a 14-14 tie midway through the first quarter.
Isaac Okoro received the start with Donovan Mitchell out, and he's the lone Cavalier starter who hasn't yet scored. The Cavs have hit six of their first 11 shots.
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For the Nets, it's been almost all Ziaire Williams , who already has a game-high nine points on a perfect 3-for-3 from 3-point range.
Below is some pregame information.
Cavaliers guard Darius Garland drives to the basket against Bucks forward Taurean Prince (12) in the first half, March 9, 2025, in Milwaukee.
Cavs injury report vs Nets; Is Donovan Mitchell playing?
All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell has been ruled out with groin soreness. Forward De'Andre Hunter is also out with an illness.
Isaac Okoro is in the starting lineup in place of Mitchell.
Guard Ty Jerome is due for a rest day and will be unavailable.
Nets injury report vs Cavs
Guard D'Angelo Russell is out Tuesday with an ankle injury.
Cleveland Cavaliers broadcast information; how can I watch, stream or listen to the Cavs-Nets game?
Tuesday's game can be watched locally on the FanDuel Sports Network . It can be heard on the radio via WMMS (100.7-FM) and WTAM (1100-AM).
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Cavs score vs. Brooklyn Nets recap, highlights
