Cleveland Cavaliers stay unbeaten after comeback NBA win over the Brooklyn Nets

LOS ANGELES – The Cleveland Cavaliers staged a sensational second-half recovery, to preserve their perfect start to the National Basketball Association (NBA) season with a 105-100 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Nov 9.

A superb defensive performance from Evan Mobley and 22 points from Donovan Mitchell laid the foundations for an unlikely victory that saw Cleveland improve to 11-0.

Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson admitted his team had been below par for long periods, but praised their resilience in grinding out a win.

“We weren’t great, but it’s a sign of a really good team that they can pull something like that out when you’re not playing your best,” he said. “That was a heck of a comeback.”

Mobley led the Cleveland scoring with 23 points, but it was his work at the other end of the court which proved decisive at Rocket Mortage Fieldhouse.

The 23-year-old power forward pulled down 13 defensive rebounds and made four steals and a block, as Cleveland dug themselves out of a 14-point hole in the third quarter to snatch victory.

The Cavaliers outscored Brooklyn 35-18 in the final period, but edged into the lead only after two Darius Garland free throws put them 97-96 ahead with about two minutes left.

Cleveland held on to that slender advantage for the remainder of the game, with Mobley bringing loud roars of approval after an emphatic block of a Cameron Johnson lay-up in the closing seconds that was emblematic of his display.

Atkinson said preserving the team’s unbeaten start to the season was also a key motivator.

“Normally you know after 11 games, you’re not thinking about a streak,” Atkinson said. “But tonight you’re thinking, ‘I don’t want it to end this way’. When you’re out there it’s in the back of your mind and you’re thinking, ‘we got to keep this thing going’.”

Johnson led Brooklyn’s scoring with 23 points, while Cam Thomas and Dennis Schroder both finished with 22 points apiece.

At the Frost Bank Centre, Collin Sexton scored 23 points and Lauri Markkanen added 20 as the visiting Utah Jazz pipped San Antonio Spurs 111-110 for their second win of the season.

Victor Wembanyama scored 24 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, but the 20-year-old French star was whistled for a costly offensive foul in the final seconds.

He said: “It’s just a matter of how well we can combine everything together. Once we combine it all, it’s great. But it’s about how often we can do it.”

Jordan Clarkson added 16 points off the bench for the Jazz, who improved to 2-7 but remain last in the Western Conference. San Antonio fell to 4-6.

In Atlanta, the Chicago Bulls took down the Hawks 125-113, while the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Toronto Raptors 105-103 at home. AFP