CLEVELAND (AP) — Evan Mobley had 23 points and 16 rebounds, and Donovan Mitchell scored 22 as the Cleveland Cavaliers rallied for a 105-100 victory over the Nets on Saturday night, becoming the 12th team in NBA history to start an 11-0 season.
Darius Garland scored eight of his 20 points in the fourth quarter for Cleveland, which trailed 82-68 with 35 seconds left in the third. Garland put the Cavaliers ahead for good at 97-96 with two free throws.
The 2015-16 Golden State Warriors hold the league record after winning their first 24 games. They lost to the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.
Cam Johnson scored 23 points and Dennis Schroeder And Cam Thomas had 22 apiece for the Nets. Brooklyn trailed by 15 in the second quarter but held Cleveland to a season-low 13 points in the third as Johnson and Thomas combined for 19 points.
The Cavaliers failed to score 110 points for the first time, ending their NBA record streak by doing so with 10 straight wins to open a season. Hall of Fame Center Wilt Chamberlain and the 1960-61 Philadelphia Warriors had reached the milestone with nine.
Takeaways
Nets: After a 108-104 overtime loss a night earlier in Boston, Brooklyn couldn’t stop the Cavaliers’ leading charge in the fourth quarter. Cleveland made 14 of 18 shots in the final period.
Cavaliers: new coach Kenny Atkinson admitted there was “a little extra” at stake as he faced Brooklyn for the first time since being fired by the Nets in 2020. Mobley took the message to heart and made 10 of 11 field goal attempts.
Key moment
After Johnson buried a three-pointer with 4:23 left to extend Brooklyn’s lead to 96-89, the Cavaliers answered with 10 straight points. Garland scored four in a row and then gave Mobley a dunk to complete the game-changing run.
Key stat
The Cavaliers are two wins away from tying the longest streak in franchise history. Cleveland has won 13 three straight, all with a franchise icon Le Bron James on the selection, last from November 11 to December 6, 2017.
Next
The Nets wrap up a three-game trip in New Orleans on Monday. The Cavaliers visit Chicago on Monday.
