Brooklyn Nets build, squander big lead against Cleveland Cavaliers, lose 109-104

The Brooklyn Nets played real well for three quarters, but that was never going to be enough.

An 82-game NBA schedule provides little opportunity to look ahead.

The Los Angeles Lakers are great, but they could be missing every front-court player, including LeBron James, by the time you get to them. That certainly helped the Brooklyn Nets defeat them on Monday night.

And though the Cleveland Cavaliers are cruising to the East’s #1 seed, riding a 14-game win-streak into Tuesday night’s action, they would be missing Donovan Mitchell, Ty Jerome, and De’Andre Hunter. Just as there are no guaranteed wins in the NBA — a lesson learned by many opponents of the 2024-25 Nets — there are no guaranteed losses either. (No matter how much Brooklyn’s front office might wish there were, now in a dead-heat with the Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers for the fifth-best lottery odds.)

The Nets were without D’Angelo Russell on Monday, but adding Cam Thomas and Trendon Watford back into the fold, a predetermined injury management plan for the back-to-back.

Early on, that was a worthy trade-off for the Nets. Cam Thomas caught a heater in the second quarter, swishing his usual array of step-back jumpers and same-foot finishes to score 16 first-half points…

Thomas played an excellent all-around first half too, driving with the intent to pass, and he led a charge of ball-movement: All of Brooklyn’s first 16 field-goals were assisted.

They didn’t just out-shoot the Cavs — though they certainly did that — they out-played them.

“I think Cam Thomas was the reason,” said Jordi Fernández postgame. “We played through him. He passed the ball early, and then the ball has energy, so it got back to him. He had 16 points in the first half, then it’s just part of him getting back in playing shape and playing, right now, over 30 minutes, which is good to see.”

Brooklyn built an 18-point lead early in the third quarter, and the ball continued to whip around the floor. Watford led the team with six assists, including consecutive beauties to Day’Ron Sharpe, while Noah Clowney again led the reserves with 12 points off the bench. Though he worryingly tweaked his right ankle…

…the sophomore did not have to exit the game, just his third back after missing 15 straight with a left ankle injury.

Despite the good vibes (and shooting) from Brooklyn, the big lead never felt sustainable. Not just because the Cavaliers are still great despite the players they were missing, but because they started just 7-of-31 from three. Sure, the Nets played some great defense at times, but the Cavs were really doing it to themselves.

Then Craig Porter Jr. made a 50-footer at the third-quarter buzzer, and it felt like Cleveland’s comeback was inevitable…

Despite 20-point games from Cleveland’s twin towers in Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, their true hero was Darius Garland.

Garland couldn’t hit water from a boat in the first half, but still made every correct read while often zipping around Brooklyn’s traps, killing their aggressive defense. Then, the shot came around in the fourth quarter where he was totally unstoppable. As Cleveland’s sole perimeter creator, he scored 18 of his 30/4/8 in the final frame, leading the Cavs all the way back in front.

On the other end, Brooklyn’s offense flat-lined, with or without Cam Thomas on the court. Tuesday perfectly encapsulated each leading man. Thomas caught a scorching heater in the first half, but ended with 27/1/3 on 10-of-22 shooting, missing this naked read to effectively end Brooklyn’s hopes late…

Garland didn’t heat up until night’s end, but thanks to his consistently excellent decision-making, drove Cleveland to solid offense all night long. They would win his minutes by a dozen points, and lose the rest by seven.

Comparing Thomas to one of the NBA’s great dribble/pass/shoot talents is, of course, a bit unfair. But if there was ever a game to clearly illustrate the difference between spark-plug and All-Star creator, this was it.

Not that Thomas was solely responsible for the loss. Brooklyn allowed 11 offensive rebounds in the second half, which Jordi Fernández was eager to point out postgame. Despite Cleveland’s 24% 3-point shooting, they consistently won 4-on-3 situations by attacking the rim, shooting a whopping 61.7% from two. The Nets shot just 5-of-22 from deep in the second half.

There was also the officiating, which did Brooklyn no favors.

When Fernández was asked what led to Cleveland’s comeback, he said, “I think their physicality just went up in the second half. Defensively, we had 21 fouls for their 25 free-throws, and they fouled us 10 times for our 14. So usually it doesn’t work this way where, like, the team that is very physical get [less fouls]. But that’s the disparity that we see right here, and it is what it is. We cannot control those things.”

In many ways, this was the ideal game for Brooklyn. A loss, of course, but a well-fought loss in which young players like Noah Clowney played well (and avoided injury). Just 17 more of these and we’ll be in good shape.

Final Score: Cleveland Cavaliers 109, Brooklyn Nets 104

Milestone Watch

• The Brooklyn Nets assisted on 31 of their 39 made baskets on Tuesday night. That marks their 10th game with 30+ helpers this season, and all ten Nets that played registered an assist.
• Watford’s six assists tied a career-high.

Standings Watch

Neither the Raptors nor the Sixers played on Tuesday night. However, the Zion Williamson-led Pelicans continue to soar, creeping up to 18 wins while Brooklyn was playing. Can they catch the Nets? Unlikely, but not impossible.

Next Up

Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images

The Nets stay in the Midwest, and a date with the Chicago Bulls waits them on Thursday evening. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET.

• Boxscore: Cleveland Cavaliers 109, Brooklyn Nets 104 – NBA
• Game Highlights: Cleveland Cavaliers 109, Brooklyn Nets 104 (Video) – NBA
• Fernández on losing their lead against Cleveland (Video) – YES Network
• Noah Clowney discusses Jordi Fernández’s impact (Video) – YES Network
• NBA-leading Cavaliers beat Nets 109-104 for their second 15-game win streak of season – Brian Dulik – AP
• Cavaliers overtake Nets for record-tying 15th straight win – Reuters
• Nets cough up chance to stun NBA-best Cavaliers in latest late-game collapse – Brian Lewis – New York Post
• Kenny Atkinson has golden chance to do something with Cavs that he never could with Nets ($) – Brian Lewis – New York Post