Cavaliers’ Inspired Third Quarter Run Leads To Eighth Straight Win

When the Cleveland Cavaliers faced the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night, it was a fairly contested game through one half.

After leading 59-51 through the first 24 minutes, the Wine and Gold caught fire.

And for good reason.

Early in the third quarter, the Cavaliers’ Evan Mobley drew a shooting foul. Immediately after, Brooklyn’s Ben Simmons shoved Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen to the ground, which resulted in an altercation. Both players were assessed a technical foul.

BEN SIMMONS AND JARRETT ALLEN GET CHIPPY 🍿 pic.twitter.com/BRYlFEydHp
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 9, 2024

After the game, Allen described what this moment did for the team.

“We’re a team that feeds off of each other. And it was a certain play in the game that we just got amped up off of, and [Darius Garland] responded. Everybody responded, especially on the defensive end.”

This incident lit a spark for the Wine and Gold, because they immediately went on an incredible run.

Including the two free throws from Mobley’s drawn shooting foul, the Cavaliers went on a 21-0 run over the first 5:21 of the third quarter. During this stretch, Cleveland made its first seven field goal attempts, and all six of its free throw attempts.

The Wine and Gold eventually won 118-95 for their eighth consecutive victory, and 16th in their last 17 games.

After the contest, Cavaliers Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff described what Allen’s intensity means to the team.

“The guys love it. They love to see the fire that burns within Jarrett, and it takes a lot to get him to that point. Jarrett is kind of to himself and all those things, mild-mannered. But he’s not a punk. So you’re not going to put your hands on him, you’re not going to try to bully him. He’s going to stand up for himself, he’s going to stand up for his teammates.”