The return of Kenny Atkinson as head coach in Brooklyn went very well for his Cavaliers. The NBA leader did not provide details to offer the Nets, who were experiencing their first consecutive game following the departure of Dennis Schröder. This does not encourage optimism for the rest of the season, even if, attenuating circumstance, Cam Thomas was also still absent.
It is without its regular rear-wheel drive from the start of the season that Brooklyn is off to the best start. Ben Simmons sets the tone with an interception and a dunk on the counterattack after just 10 seconds of play, and Brooklyn even leads 7-0 after 90 seconds. It will be the first and last thrill for the local public.
Placed with the keys to the game, the Australian then does a series of balls. Cleveland reacts, and Kenny Atkinson's rotations are timely. Caris LeVert is impeccable in his old room, and the false start is quickly forgotten as Cleveland ends the first quarter with a 32-5!
+32 at the break
More aggressive, and successful in everything they do, the Cavaliers quickly take cover, 37-17 after one quarter and up to 56-22 after 18 minutes. The match is a correction, between two teams separated by at least three levels. So the visitors have fun, from Caris LeVert's insolent 3-point success (6/8 at the break, 12/25 collectively) to Donovan Mitchell's big penetrating dunk to punctuate the first period. At the break, there was no longer a match: 72-40 for the Cavaliers.
Cleveland can even afford to loosen the grip a little when returning from the locker room and rotate. It's even the entire second period which sometimes has the air of giant “garbage time”, which at least Cam Johnson takes advantage of to become the real leader of the Nets attack. This is too little to hope to upset the scenario of the game, especially since Evan Mobley takes things into his own hands for the Cavaliers. The interior scored 19 of his 21 points after half-time in the quiet evening of his team, ultimately winning 130-101.
WHAT TO REMEMBER
– The Cavaliers’ rebound is confirmed. The slightly less prolific passage with in particular the two defeats against the Hawks seems behind the Cavs, winners of six of their last seven games and very serious on Monday evening. The weakness of the opponent obviously helped to have a quiet evening, but we still had to do our part of the job. Done, and well done with seven players between 11 and 21 points.
– The Nets, four minutes and curtain. The first match without Dennis Schröder turned into a rout for Brooklyn despite a few good first minutes. The Nets failed to show character, lacking a boss in the game despite Cam Johnson or the good passages of Day'Ron Sharpe and Jalen Wilson coming off the bench. Quickly, let Cam Thomas come back and give this team some life.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
