Game analysis: Brooklyn Nets at Cleveland Cavaliers
How the Cavaliers Beat the Nets
Cleveland's efficient offense built a cushion that Brooklyn's late surge could not erase. A 12–0 second-quarter run stretched a two-point advantage to 14, and the Cavaliers carried that control through the third quarter. Donovan Mitchell scored a team-high 22 points, while Jarrett Allen added 21 on 7-of-8 shooting and Evan Mobley contributed 20 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks. Brooklyn scored 41 in the fourth and cut a 13-point deficit to four in the final two minutes, but Cleveland survived despite losing the rebounding and turnover battles.
The biggest reason
Paint Dominance
Points in the paintCLE 46vsBKN 30
Also mattered
+11%Field-goal shooting
+8Assists
+8Blocks
Game flow
When the lead changed
BKN (away)CLE (home)
BKN's biggest lead was 4 points · CLE's was 24 points · 4 lead changes
Quarter-by-quarter momentum
Quarter winners and scoring margin
Q1
BKN30
CLE35
CLE won by 5
Q2
BKN22
CLE31
CLE won by 9
Q3
BKN26
CLE30
CLE won by 4
Q4Biggest margin
BKN43
CLE29
BKN won by 14
Game turning points
Moments identified from the scoring timeline
Final lead changeQ1 · 32.1
Cleveland Cavaliers went ahead and did not trail again.
BKN 30–CLE 32
Momentum swings
Key stretches
5 stretches · runs and momentum swings
Q1 · 7:57–5:00
Brooklyn Nets13–5stretch
BKN 8 – CLE 12→BKN 21 – CLE 17
Q1 · 3:45–0.0
Cleveland Cavaliers15–6stretch
BKN 24 – CLE 20→BKN 30 – CLE 35
Q2 · 10:51–5:45
Brooklyn Nets14–5stretch
BKN 30 – CLE 40→BKN 44 – CLE 45
Q2 · 5:45–2:25
Cleveland Cavaliers15–2stretch
BKN 44 – CLE 45→BKN 46 – CLE 60
Q4 · 9:29–8.1Biggest stretch
Brooklyn Nets41–19stretch
BKN 80 – CLE 104→BKN 121 – CLE 123
Players who shaped the game
Player impact
From the box score
Brooklyn Nets
BKN
Leading scorerMichael Porter Jr.
28PTS9REB1AST4STL0BLK
Impact contributorJulius Randle
23PTS6REB5AST0STL0BLK
Impact contributorEgor Demin
22PTS4REB6AST0STL0BLK
Cleveland Cavaliers
CLE
Leading scorerDonovan Mitchell
22PTS5REB4AST1STL1BLK
Impact contributorEvan Mobley
20PTS10REB4AST2STL3BLK
Impact contributorJarrett Allen
21PTS8REB0AST2STL1BLK
Team performance
Biggest advantages and setbacks
What the winner did best—and what it overcame
Advantages
BlocksWinner edge
Cleveland Cavaliers had a 8 edge in blocks.
BKN 1CLE 9
Field-goal shootingWinner edge
Cleveland Cavaliers had a 11 percentage points edge in field-goal shooting.
BKN 40%CLE 51%
AssistsWinner edge
Cleveland Cavaliers had a 8 edge in assists.
BKN 23CLE 31
Setbacks
Free-throw shootingOpponent edge
Cleveland Cavaliers trailed in free-throw shooting by 9 percentage points.
BKN 85%CLE 76%
Fast-break pointsOpponent edge
Cleveland Cavaliers trailed in fast-break points by 7.
BKN 16CLE 9
StealsOpponent edge
Cleveland Cavaliers trailed in steals by 2.
BKN 11CLE 9
The numbers behind the win
Evidence
4 signals
Paint scoring
Cleveland generated a substantial interior scoring advantage that helped underpin its efficient offensive night.
BKN30
CLE46
Shooting efficiency
Cleveland converted its possessions at a much higher rate from the field.
BKN40%
CLE51%
Ball movement
The Cavaliers created more assisted baskets as their offense produced scoring throughout the lineup.
BKN23
CLE31
Editorial turning point
12-0 run in the second quarter
Cleveland expanded a two-point lead to 14, creating the separation that Brooklyn spent the rest of the game trying to overcome.
This game’s Winning DNA
How Cleveland Cavaliers got it done.
The winning formula behind this game.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Paint Dominance
40%
Playmaking
30%
Superstar Performance
30%
Editorial weights for this game — not fan-vote percentages or official NBA statistics.