CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers welcomed back forwards Evan Mobley and Dean Wade coming out of the NBA All-Star break as the team seeks its sixth consecutive win with the Brooklyn Nets visiting Rocket Arena on Feb. 19.
Mobley missed the past seven games with a left calf strain, and Wade missed the past three games with a left ankle sprain. Now they’re playing for the first time since the Cavs acquired point guard James Harden ahead of the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline.
Tip-off for Cavs (34-21) versus Nets (15-38) occurred at 7:12 p.m. Check below for updates throughout the game.
Cleveland Cavaliers build 47-28 lead vs. Brooklyn Nets with 6:52 left in the second quarter
The Cavs are better than the Nets, but the disparity isn’t stopping Cleveland from playing hard.
With 8:23 left in the second quarter, Nets center Day’Ron Sharpe committed a loose ball foul by crashing into Cavs forward Evan Mobley’s legs as they hustled for a loose ball. The sequence was set up by Cavs point guard Dennis Schroder diving on defense to create a loose ball. Fortunately, Mobley appeared to be fine after the collission. He threw down a vicious dunk with 7:55 left.
Through nine minutes of action, Mobley had four points and four rebounds in his first game back from a left calf strain.
And the Cavs led the Nets 47-28 during a timeout with 6:52 remaining in the second quarter.
Cavs lead Nets 34-16 at end of first quarter
The Cavs led the Nets 34-16 at the end of the first quarter.
Center Jarrett Allen paced the Cavs with 10 points. Guard Donovan Mitchell and forward Dean Wade added six points apiece.
Forwards Noah Clowney and Michael Porter Jr. led the Nets with six points each.
The Cavs finished the quarter 13-of-21 shooting (61.9%) from the field (4 of 7 on 3-pointers, 57.1%). The Nets went 6-of-25 shooting (24%) from the field (2 of 13 on 3s, 15.4%).
Cleveland’s energy and effort on defense was noticeable in the opening quarter.
Cleveland Cavaliers lead Brooklyn Nets 29-14. Donovan Mitchell finishes alley-oop from James Harden with one-handed catch and dunk
A freak athlete like Donovan Mitchell can make the extraordinary look like it’s routine.
It happened with 8:46 left in the first quarter. Point guard James Harden started a fast break and threw a lob to Mitchell for an alley-oop. Mitchell didn’t just finish the job. The seven-time All-Star guard caught the ball with his right hand and dunked it in one smooth motion. The highlight gave the Cavs a 14-3 lead.
With 2:46 left in the opening quarter, the Cavs led 29-14 during a timeout.
At this early stage of the game, Harden had four assists. None was more impressive than his pass to Mitchell, and no basket thus far was more impressive than Mitchell’s one-handed slam.
Center Jarrett Allen led the Cavs with 10 points at this juncture, followed by Mitchell and forward Dean Wade with six points apiece.
Nets call a timeout 41 seconds into game after Cleveland Cavs jump out to a 4-0 lead
You don’t seen this every day. Nets coach Jordi Fernandez called a timeout 41 seconds into the game after the Cavs jumped out to a 4-0 lead.
Center Jarrett Allen drew a foul on the first possession and split a pair of free throws with 11:45 left.
Then Allen blocked a dunk attempt by Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. during Brooklyn’s first possession.
On the other end of the floor, forward Dean Wade made a wide-open 3-pointer on an assist from guard James Harden.
Fernandez had seen enough to call timeout with 11:19 left in the opening quarter.
Below is some pregame information.
Cavs starters vs. Nets
With forwards Evan Mobley and Dean Wade back from injury, the Cavs announced both players will start against the Nets.
The other Cavs starters are guards Donovan Mitchell and James Harden and center Jarrett Allen.
Nets starters vs. Cavaliers
The Nets announced they’re starting the following players against the Cavs:
Breaking down the Cleveland Cavaliers’ winning streak
The Cavs entered Feb. 19 with five consecutive wins and 10 victories in their past 11 games. The Cavs also had a record of 17-5 since Dec. 29, giving them the best winning percentage (.772) in the NBA during the span.
The Cavs won their first three games with Harden and their first four games with two other recent trade pickups, guards Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis.
The Cavs had won their past five meetings with the Nets and 10 of the last 11 matchups between the two teams. The Cavs entered Feb. 19 with a regular-season record of 115-85 in their all-time series against the Nets.
Cavs injury report vs. Nets
Mobley and Wade are not listed on the injury report, so they are expected to face the Nets.
The Cavs ruled out two players due to injury: forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin (left calf soreness) and small forward Max Strus (offseason foot surgery).
During Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson’s pregame media availability, he said he expects Strus to return from injury and play during this regular season.
Nets injury report vs. Cavs
The Nets ruled out center Nic Claxton (right ankle sprain).
How can I watch, stream, listen to Cavs vs. Nets tonight?
The Feb. 19 game between the Cavs and Nets will be televised locally by FanDuel Sports Network — Ohio. The local radio broadcast can be heard via WTAM (1100-AM) or WMMS (100.7-FM).
Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavaliers score vs Nets. Injury report, live game updates, highlights
Reporting by Nate Ulrich, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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