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BROOKLYN, N.Y.- The Play-In tournament. A position that the Brooklyn Nets were not expecting to participate in come April. Yet, here they are as they hosted the Cleveland Cavaliers.
How did the Nets get here? An injury to Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving’s vaccination status, and a trade demand from James Harden moved him to Philadelphia.
With all of that, Brooklyn will compete in the NBA Playoffs as the 7th Seed thanks to a 115-108 win.
The stakes were high for both teams. Brooklyn would get things going as they finished the first quarter with a 40-20 lead, shooting 71% from the field. Irving and Durant would shoot a combined 19 points on 8-for-8 shooting to start their night.
Once the second quarter began, Brooklyn would struggle offensively, which allowed Cleveland to build themselves some momentum. One struggle would be preventing turnovers. The Nets would turn over the ball seven times in just that quarter. Cleveland cut the 20 point deficit as the Nets would lead 57-45 as they went into halftime.
After going a perfect 5-for-5 in the first quarter, Irving would do it again in the second as he went 4-for-4. He would lead his team in scoring at the end of the half with 20 points.
The second half would see Brooklyn build their lead to 22. However, this didn’t stop Cleveland, as they would continue to claw their way back into the game despite the deficit. They would go on a late 7-0 run in the third quarter to cut Brooklyn’s lead to 12.
Late Push Not Enough
Cleveland’s 16-4 run to start the fourth quarter would build their momentum. They cut the Brooklyn lead to single digits at 6. However, back-to-back made shots by Durant in the final five minutes of play would seal the deal.
With no Jarrett Allen for Cleveland, Brooklyn came in as the favorites. The Cavaliers kept the Nets on their toes as a late push gave them a chance once the Nets’ lead was cut to single digits. One player specifically was Darius
Garland, who has had a breakthrough year for this young Cleveland squad. He finished his night with 34 points, five assists, and one rebound. Evan Mobley, who is running for Rookie of the Year, had a 19 point night while grabbing seven rebounds. Kevin Love had a double-double scoring 14 points and 13 rebounds off the bench.
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Irving was spectacular. He finished his night with a double-double as he scored 30 points while dishing out 12 assists. He was going near perfect from the field as he shot 12-for-15. It took until the 10:09 mark in the fourth quarter for him to miss his first field goal of the night.
Four of the Nets’ starting five, including Irving, would finish in double figures in scoring. Durant would end his night with a double-double as well. He scored 25 points and 11 assists. Bruce Brown finished his night with 18 points and Andre Drummond with 16 points.
Up Next:
The Brooklyn Nets will face the Boston Celtics in the first round of the NBA Playoffs on Sunday, April 17, 3:30 p.m. EST.
The Cleveland Cavaliers will play the winner of the Charlotte/Atlanta game for another chance to enter the playoffs.
