Brooklyn Nets Squander 18-Point Lead, Fall to Cleveland Cavaliers on the Road

Coming off a much-needed skid-ending home victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, the Brooklyn Nets looked to carry its newfound momentum to Ohio for an Eastern Conference tilt with the Cleveland Cavaliers. For almost the entirety of the matchup, Brooklyn appeared primed to upset top-seeded Cleveland, but a 30-point effort from Darius Garland erased a once-18-point lead. Even with the commendable performance, the Nets fell 109-104, dropping to 0-3 on the season against the Cavaliers.

In his fourth game back in head coach Jordi Fernandez's rotation, Cam Thomas led Brooklyn with 27 points and three assists in the latest blunder.

After leading by 18 in the third quarter — and eventually eight in the fourth — Cleveland orchestrated a 23-8 run late in the ballgame to complete the dramatic comeback. Garland was sensational, dishing out eight assists and grabbing four steals on top of the 30-point explosion. Emphasizing the Nets' recent interior defensive woes, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley combined for 44 points while leading the Cavaliers to a plus-six advantage on the boards.

Sans Donovan Mitchell and De'Andre Hunter, the Brooklyn control seemed to be enough early on to pull off the upset. However, a 2-for-9 shooting sequence down the stretch prevented the visitors from closing out Cleveland.

D'Angelo Russell sat out of the second half of a back-to-back, yet statistically, the Nets were the better offensive team Tuesday night. They had higher percentages than the Cavaliers in every category outside of from the charity stripe, but couldn't make enough plays in the waning moments to secure the win.

While the loss didn't come as a shock (the Nets entered the day as 18.5-point underdogs, per DraftKings), coughing up an opportunity to end the shorthanded Cleveland squad's 15-game winning streak is highly dissapointing.

Despite the final results, there were some bright spots. Ziaire Williams continued to evolve into a difference maker in the starting five, producing 14 points and six rebounds through 30 minutes of action. Williams was also decently efficient from the field, shooting 5-of-11 in a bounceback performance from last night's win over LA.

Same goes for Noah Clowney, who's toughness was on full display all evening. Even after turning his ankle — the same injury which sidlined him for all of February — he returned to the floor en route to a 12-point showing.

With the back-to-back now in the rearview, Brooklyn gets one day off before traveling to Illinois for a road matchup with the Chicago Bulls at the United Center. With the season series tied at one apiece, Thursday night's 8 p.m. EST bout will determine who owns bragging rights until the 2025-26 campaign.

To access the final box score from the Nets' loss to the Cavaliers, click here.

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