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The Cleveland Cavaliers staged a sensational second-half comeback to preserve their perfect start to the season with a thrilling defeat of the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday. A superb defensive performance from Evan Mobley and 22 points from Donovan Mitchell laid the foundations for an unlikely 105-100 victory that saw Cleveland improve to 11-0.
Mobley led the Cleveland scoring with 23 points, but it was his work at the other end of the court which proved decisive. 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 quarter but only edged into the lead after two Garland free throws put them 97-96 ahead with just over two minutes remaining. Cleveland held onto that slender advantage for the remainder of the game, with Mobley bringing loud roars of approval after an emphatic block of a Cameron Johnson layup in the closing seconds that was emblematic of his display.
Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson admitted his team had been below-par for long periods, but praised their resilience in grinding out a win. "Heck of a comeback. 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," Atkinson said afterwards. "That was a heck of a comeback." Atkinson added that preserving the team's unbeaten start to the season was also a key motivator to his players. "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.
