The Cavs held a commanding lead of up to 35 points during the first half, securing a decisive victory in Kenny Atkinson’s comeback to Brooklyn, where he previously held the position of head coach for four seasons.
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Evan Mobley scored 21 points, Caris LeVert added 19 and the Cleveland Cavaliers rolled to a 130-101 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night.
Donovan Mitchell had 18 points and five assists, and Georges Niang had 17 points and nine rebounds for Cleveland (23-4), which won its second straight and for the sixth time in seven games.
Cameron Johnson led Brooklyn with 22 points and five assists, and Day’Ron Sharpe had 15 points and seven rebounds. The Nets (10-16) lost their third straight and fell for the sixth time in seven games.
Kenny Atkinson returned as a head coach to Brooklyn with the Cavaliers. The 57-year-old led the Nets for four seasons.
Takeaways
Cavaliers: Cleveland, which entered play ranking first in the NBA in field-goal percentage (50.3) and 3-point field-goal percentage (39.9), shot 53.1% from the field. They had 33 assists on 43 made baskets.
Nets: Playing their first game since point guard Dennis Schroder was traded to Golden State, the Nets shot just 42% from the field and scored a season-low 40 first-half points. Brooklyn scored nearly as many points in the third quarter (37) as it did in the first 24 minutes.
Key moment
Brooklyn scored the game’s first seven points, but the Cavaliers closed the first quarter with a 32-5 run and led by 20.
Key stat
The Cavaliers have scored at least 130 points in seven games, which already is a single-season franchise record.
Up next
The Cavaliers host Milwaukee on Friday. The Nets play Thursday at Toronto.
