4-8-2022 at Nets

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Verizon Game Rewind - Cavs at Nets

Cavs vs. Nets Postgame: Evan Mobley + Darius Garland

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Cavs vs. Nets Postgame: J.B. Bickerstaff

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Cleveland dropped a tough, close game in Brooklyn on Friday night to wrap-up the road portion of the regular season schedule, 118-107. A 19-point first and fourth quarter hurt Cleveland, as a 35-point second and 34-point third quarter got the Wine &amp; Gold back in to things. Evan Mobley returned to the lineup after a five-game absence, and picked up where he left off, with 17 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks and steals. Kevin Durant led all scorers with 36 points.

Darius Garland was just as good as Durant, scoring 31 points of his own on 12 made shots, but he only handed out three assists. It was a strong offensive performance for the Cavs, as three more were in double figures, with Lauri Markkanen also totaling 17, Caris LeVert with 16, and Kevin Love with 10. All five Nets starters were in double figures, as Andre Drummond doubled-up with 15 and 12. The Nets out-rebounded the Cavs, 45-31.

Miss any of the action? Find all the highlights and photos in the Game Tracker.

Playing in their biggest road contest in four years and with huge postseason implications in the balance, J.B. Bickerstaff’s pugnacious young squad has nothing to be ashamed of following Friday night’s defeat.

The Nets ran out to a 17-point lead late in the first period before the Cavaliers bounced back with an extended rally that put them up five after three quarters. But Brooklyn reclaimed the lead for good when Kevin Durant drilled a triple early in the fourth, pulling away late to take the 118-107 decision at Barclays Center.

With one game remaining in the regular season, the Cavaliers now sit in the Eastern Conference’s 8th-seed – with Friday’s loss sealing the tiebreaker for Brooklyn, which won the season series, 3-1. The Hawks, who came into the contest tied with Brooklyn, fell to the Heat in Miami and now sit in a virtual tie with Charlotte, which blew out the Bulls in Chicago.

The Atlanta loss means that the Wine &amp; Gold still control their own fate. With a win on Sunday over Milwaukee, the Cavaliers will still play in the Eastern Conference’s 7-8 Game against either Brooklyn or Atlanta.

The Cavs looked overwhelmed early and trailed by 15 points after one quarter, but got within eight by intermission. Cleveland kept coming in the third and took its first lead of the night when Isaac Okoro scored on a layup with 3:29 to play in the period. They’d build their lead to seven points late in the third.

But the Nets – who overcame a 21-point deficit in New York two nights ago – cut into Cleveland’s lead almost immediately, taking the lead on Durant’s three-pointer with 8:52 to play and never looking back.

The news wasn’t all bad for the Cavaliers on Friday night. Rookie of the Year candidate Evan Mobley returned to the lineup after missing the previous five games with a sprained left ankle and looked like he hadn’t missed a beat – finishing with 17 points, seven boards, three assists, two steals and a pair of blocks in 34 minutes of work.

Darius Garland led Cleveland with 31 points – going 12-for-24 from the floor, including 3-of-6 from long-range and 4-of-4 from the stripe, adding three assists and a pair of steals.

Lauri Markkanen capped a solid offensive week with 17 points, going 7-for-14 from the floor, and Caris LeVert added 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting, adding four boards, four helpers and a block.

Kevin Love was the only other Cavalier in double-figures, finishing with 10 points and a team-high nine rebounds in 21 minutes of work off the bench.

Durant led five Nets in double-figures with 36 points while both Bruce Brown and Andre Drummond notched double-doubles in the win.

Darius Garland picks the pocket of the Nets, going the length of the floor after a steal and finishing the play with a great reverse lay-up on the other end.

Brooklyn has the firepower to flip the switch in the fourth quarter – and for the second time in as many games the Nets did exactly that.

The Cavaliers outscored the Nets, 69-49, over the middle two quarters and led by a touchdown late in the third. But Brooklyn opened the final period on a 12-5 run, taking the lead with just under nine minutes to play and opening up a double-digit lead by the 4:34 mark on Kyrie Irving’s floater.

16.7, .468, .900 … Lauri Markkanen’s scoring average – along with his shooting percentage from the floor (66-of-141) and from the stripe (36-of-40) – over his last 12 outings.

Over that stretch, the 5th-year man from Arizona is averaging 6.2rpg, notching double-digit scoring in every game but two, with three 20-point performances and one 30-point outburst in the mix.

Darius Garland, on what the Cavs have in front of them …

"We're still in the race. We're all trying to get wins and get in the playoffs. It doesn't matter what's going on or who’s out there. We're trying to get a win and stay in this playoff race and hopefully win one of these two games. We have another game Sunday, and we'll try and get that one and see where the chips fall."

Enjoy the best broadcast calls of the night from Cavaliers Radio Network's Tim Alcorn and Rafa Hernandez-Brito from Power 98.1.

The Cavaliers wrap up the regular season this Sunday afternoon when they welcome the World Champs to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in a 3:30 start. The Wine &amp; Gold will play in next week’s Play-In Tournament – the only question is whether they’ll be in Tuesday’s 7-8 Game or the 9-10 Game the following night.

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Cavs Drop Back-and-Forth Affair to Nets

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Lauri's Coast-to-Coast Jam

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Rondo's Outlet Pass to Cedi

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Garland Stops on a Dime and Scores

LeVert's Up-and-Under Move Helps Cavs Inch Closer

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4‑8‑2022 at Nets