Cavaliers Accomplish Two Major Feats in Close Win Over Nets

Cleveland is inching closer to the No. 1 seed in the East.

Gavin Dorsey | Mar 11, 2025

Mar 11, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas (24) dribbles beside Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) in the first quarter at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images / David Richard-Imagn Images

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Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavaliers trailed by as many as 18 points in the second half Tuesday, but against all odds, they battled back to earn their 55th victory and extend their 15-game winning streak.

Cleveland was without Donovan Mitchell, De'Andre Hunter and Ty Jerome, but the Cavs got the job done by taking down the Brooklyn Nets, 109-104. The short-handed group was led by Darius Garland's 30 points, Jarrett Allen's 23-point, 13-rebound double-double and Evan Mobley's 21.

The win entrenched the Cavaliers further into the 2025 NBA playoffs. Thanks to the team's 55-10 record, Cleveland has now clinched at least a top four seed in the Eastern Conference, meaning the Cavs will have home court advantage in the first round.

That could come in handy, especially considering last year's first-round series. The Cavaliers defeated the Magic in seven games, but the home team won each outing. Cleveland, the higher-ranked No. 4 seed, had home court advantage in the deciding Game 7.

However, the Cavaliers are presumably not satisfied with guaranteeing themselves a top four playoff seed. Cleveland is 18 games ahead of No. 4 Milwaukee, 13.5 games ahead of No. 3 New York and eight games ahead of No. 2 Boston, meaning the Cavs could be close to clinching home court advantage over the entire Eastern Conference fairly soon.

The Cavaliers' win against Brooklyn tied their 15-game win streak to begin the season for the team's longest such streak of the year. Cleveland will head to Memphis on Friday to attempt to set a new franchise record for the longest win streak.

The win also clinched the Central Division for Cleveland, although the accomplishment does not affect playoff seeding. The Cavaliers last won the Central Division in the 2017-18 season.

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Published Mar 11, 2025

GAVIN DORSEY

Gavin Dorsey is the Lead Writer for Northwestern Wildcats On SI and assists in covering a handful of other teams in the On SI network, including the Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Guardians, Houston Texans and Ohio State Buckeyes. Before joining On SI in February 2025, he wrote for the Star Tribune and Inside NU while broadcasting college sports for both radio and television. Dorsey is a graduate of Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism, where he also studied psychology. In his free time, he enjoys running and being outdoors. Dorsey is currently a freelance writer for the Associated Press, covering Chicago area sports teams.