Turns out there’s a slight difference between Friday night lights and the ones that all but blinded the Cleveland Cavaliers just a few days ago.
Using clear eyes and full hearts, the Cavs narrowly notched their first victory of the regular season against the Brooklyn Nets and split their short road trip in New York.
The 131-124 win featured an All-Star night from guard Donovan Mitchell, who took it into his own hands at times to end the night with 35 points while looking like a sniper from long range. Guard Cam Thomas led Brooklyn with 33 points and nine assists. Forward Michael Porter Jr.
, who the Nets acquired from the Denver Nuggets in the offseason, added 31 points while sinking 13 of his 22 shots from the floor.
Feb 20, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) reacts during the second half against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images / John Jones-Imagn Images
The Cavs more than lived up to expectations when it came to executing on the inside. Cleveland big Evan Mobley used his size and skill on the interior to grab early buckets and spark an early rhythm in the halfcourt.
He got things started with two short makes before ending his night with 13 points. Center Jarrett Allen overcame a slow start to the season with 22 points on a blazing hot eight makes on 11 shots from the floor. Larry Nance Jr. kept things going from the inside as he knocked down routine layups, which led to him being a leader off the bench alongside guard Craig Porter Jr.’s 14 points.
Guard Sam Merrill continued his run in the starting five this season after earning seven starts in his career, including four last season. He used a pair of excellent reads and passes to Nance Jr. to showcase his passing ability in the Friday night win. The fourth-year Cavalier earned four or more assists on eight occasions last season, including a season-high six in a win over the Washington Wizards, and ended the night with five assists.
While close-range shots would end up being the Cavs’ bread and butter, Cleveland still saved room for a full-course meal as the duo of Mitchell and Merrill seemingly forgot how to miss from 3-point range. The two would lead the way from long range with 12 makes on 20 tries.
Merrill, who hit five of his 10 long-range attempts in the Cavs’ regular-season opener, kept his hot streak going with two early 3-pointers. While Cleveland would eventually lose some steam from outside, the Cavs still used a high pace to jump out ahead with quick strikes that kept them hot from inside the arc. They still finished the game with a 42.9% clip from the 3-point line, which followed up a stellar night from the Charlotte Hornets that saw them hit just above 47% of their 3-point tries against the Nets.
The Cavs used an aggressive game plan on defense to try to force takeaways early. While they missed on a few of their gambles, an early steal by Jaylon Tyson showed the Cavs were able to nab the kind of turnovers needed to keep things in their favor.
Brooklyn was still able to force a few turnovers of its own, including off a pass inside to Allen, but Cleveland always found a way to respond with another picked-off pass in the first half. Cleveland’s early push led to a lead it would never lose, which only grew as the Cavs’ starters stayed in rhythm on offense. The Nets were able to use an incredible fourth quarter to come close, but fall just short of the mark as they entered the 50-40-90 club as a team.
The Cavs will return to Rocket Arena to face the Milwaukee Bucks at 6 p.m. on Sunday. The game will be broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network.