The Brooklyn Nets won the top game in the East against the Cleveland Cavaliers. In the 125:117 victory for the guests, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant scored 64 points together, and KD was also able to celebrate several personal records.
Cleveland Cavaliers (22-13) – Brooklyn Nets (22-12) 117:125 (BOXSCORE)
An entry in the NBA history books had to be adjusted in the middle of the first quarter: Kevin Durant overtook Tim Duncan (26,496 points) and is now 15th in the all-time scoring list. With places 10-15 very close together, KD could make it into the top 10 this season. On top of that, Durant passed Kobe Bryant (1827 three-pointers) in the all-time three-pointers to jump to 21st place.
The Nets star played through the first 12 minutes and promptly scored 12 points, Royce O’Neal also got off to a hot start (10 points, 4/5 FG). The defensive specialist confirmed his strong form and was again able to convince as a long-range shooter (2/3 3FG). 34:22 for Brooklyn after the first leg.
In the second quarter, the Cavaliers acted much more aggressively and kept looking for the basket for easy points. This increasing aggressiveness was also noticeable at the defensive end of the floor, in the middle of the quarter Brooklyn only scored two points in about 5 minutes. A 16-4 run by the hosts reduced the Nets’ 12-point lead to just one point (43-44). But the guests responded with a 18:4 run, so Brooklyn went into the break with a comfortable lead (49:64).
A gala performance by Darius Garland is not enough
Same picture in the third quarter, once the Cavs found some rhythm and closed the gap, the Nets hit back. An 8-0 run by the hosts with two Mitchell threes was canceled out by two Durant triples after a timeout at the other end.
Darius Garland almost single-handedly ensured that the Cavaliers stayed in the game for a long time in the second round (28 of his 46 points in 2nd half). His backcourt partner Donovan Mitchell, on the other hand, remained rather pale (16 points, 5/16 FG). Durant collected his sixth foul with about two minutes to go and was ejected, fueling the fans even more. With 44 seconds to go, Garland reduced the deficit to four points (117:121), but at the other end Kyrie kept his nerve at the free-throw line and sealed the win. With 32 points (7/11 3FG) he was the top scorer for the guests together with Durant.
After the miserable start to the season, the Nets now have nine wins in a row, it is the longest winning streak of the NBA season so far, only the Celtics and Bucks each had nine wins in a row. It’s also Brooklyn’s first nine-game winning streak since the franchise won 14 straight games in 2006.
NBA: Die Stats-Leader bei Cavs vs. Nets
| Category | Cavs | Nets |
| Points | Darius Garland (46) | Irving/Durant (32) |
| Rebounds | Jarrett Allen (11) | Durant/Simmons (9) |
| Assists | Darius Garland (8) | Ben Simmons (8) |
| Steals | Caris LeVert (2) | Ben Simmons (3) |
| Blocks | Mitchell/Allen/Mobley (1) | Nic Claxton (2) |
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