{"id":381412,"date":"2026-10-24T03:46:49","date_gmt":"2026-10-24T03:46:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/381412\/"},"modified":"2026-10-24T03:46:49","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T03:46:49","slug":"stopping-donovan-mitchell-will-be-key-if-nets-hope-to-defeat-cavaliers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/381412\/","title":{"rendered":"Stopping Donovan Mitchell Will be Key if Nets Hope to Defeat Cavaliers"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Brooklyn Nets will look<\/a> to bounce back after falling<\/a> to the Charlotte Hornets on opening night.<\/p>\n

They’ll be taking on the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road, hoping to put up a good fight against a team that just got to the Eastern Conference Finals a season ago.<\/p>\n

The Cavs blew a 29-point lead to their former hometown hero, LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers in their season opener, but they hope to regroup in front of their home fans and build on some of the principles that worked well for much of the game.<\/p>\n

Stopping Donovan Mitchell will be key, as he exploded for 32 points on 11-of-19 shooting and 10 rebounds in the loss.<\/p>\n

Mitchell is always a threat to light it up from downtown or get downhill and if you’re not careful, he could put you on a poster at some point during the night.<\/p>\n

James Harden is expected to be more of an orchestrator at this stage of his career but can still put up the occasional 30-point game when he has it clicking on all cylinders.<\/p>\n

Jarrett Allen, of course, is always a threat to roll to the rim and finish lob feeds thrown from Harden, as he could expose the Nets’ weak interior defense. Harden could also look to set Evan Mobley up for clean looks in the paint and midrange areas.<\/p>\n

Despite the loss, Julius Randle really helped set the tone for the Nets in their loss to Charlotte, getting downhill with ease and setting his teammates for clean looks all over the court, especially Michael Porter Jr.<\/p>\n

The Nets were missing<\/a> a bulky presence who could impose their will throughout the course of the game last season. Randle’s presence alone should help the team add a few more wins from last season’s win total.<\/p>\n

However, the Nets’ point guard room looked a bit rough in their last game, as Egor Demin failed to hit a single 3-pointer.<\/p>\n

Mikel Brown Jr. had drilled a deep 3-pointer and looked poised during certain stretches of the game but he was one game into his professional career, so sime growing pains are to be expected from him.<\/p>\n

It may take Nets coach Jordi Fernandez some time to figure out his rotations, but if Randle and Porter can handle a big scoring load and the Nets get better quality shots, they could at least make this game competitive.<\/p>\n

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