The Cavs led by as many as 37 points in a road demolition of the Nets.
Evan Mobley scored a team-high 21 points in his return to the court and Caris LeVert added 19 off the bench as the Cleveland Cavaliers demolished the Brooklyn Nets 130-101. It was a total team effort that saw seven Cavaliers score in double-digits, including all five starters.
After a one-game hiatus, it was nice to see Mobley back out on the court. Even more impressively, he led the Cavs in scoring.
Tell a friend to tell a friend... HE'S BACK. @evanmobley | #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/pIwZXGKtWc
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) December 17, 2024
The Cavs shot 53% from the floor including 40% from three-point territory, and they still left a lot on the table. Donovan Mitchell scored 18 points on 6-14 shooting and Darius Garland had 11 points and six assists. It didn't take Herculean efforts from anyone on the Cavs to beat down the hapless Nets, who recently kicked off trade season. Cam Johnson led the Nets with 22 points and Ben Simmons had 10 points and eight assists.
It was a seemingly pretty relaxed effort from the Cavs, who seemed in control of the game from tip-off. But Mitchell flexed his athleticism on this dunk:
#LETEMKNOW, DONNY. pic.twitter.com/Pdmjh8LLBe
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) December 17, 2024
To put up 130 points and not have a single player score more than 21 themselves is pretty impressive, and demonstrative of the depth the Cavs possess. Georges Niang had 17 points to add to LeVert’s 19 off the bench, while Ty Jerome dished out six assists in 16 minutes. Max Strus, however, remained out despite reports that he would return to the court now two games ago.
The Cavs improve to a league-best 23-4 and get another three full days of rest before facing off against the Milwaukee Bucks Friday night at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. The Bucks will play the Oklahoma City Thunder for the NBA Cup on Tuesday night in Las Vegas.
