Donovan Mitchell scores 27 points as Cavaliers top Nets 114-113 in season opener
NEW YORK (AP) Donovan Mitchell scored 10 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, and Cleveland beat the Brooklyn Nets 114-113 on Wednesday night for the Cavaliers' first road win in a season opener since 2000.
Cleveland had six players score in double figures. Max Strus, who started in place of injured center Jarrett Allen, had 27 points and 12 rebounds. Isaac Okoro scored 18 points, and Darius Garland finished with 15.
“The thing about our team is that we're really resilient,” Mitchell said. “When the games are close ... you have to be locked in defensively. For me, when it's time, just kind of picking my spots and kind of getting to where I wanted to.”
Cam Thomas scored 36 for Brooklyn, setting a league record for most points for a reserve in a season opener. Mikal Bridges scored 11 of his 20 in the fourth quarter. Cam Johnson had 12 points, and Ben Simmons finished with four points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.
“I feel like we played well," Thomas said. “We got off to a slow start (at) the beginning so we had to fight back for three quarters (and) it's a tough thing to do against a good team like Cleveland.”
Brooklyn was built to be a defense-oriented team, but it struggled defensively in the preseason and it carried over to the home opener. Cleveland shot 46.8% from the field, including a 17-for-43 performance from 3-point range.
“We just have so (many) talented guys on this roster," Strus said. “It's going to be anybody's night any given game. Up and down the roster ... anybody can step up and play for us.”
The Cavaliers led 90-87 after three quarters, but the Nets opened the fourth with a 14-5 run. Dennis Smith Jr. converted a layup to make it 101-95 with 8:07 left.
Bridges made two foul shots to make it 111-105 with 1:24 remaining. Mitchell responded with a 21-foot jumper, and Strus made two free throws. Then Mitchell’s breakaway dunk tied the game.
Brooklyn went ahead 113-111 on two Bridges free throws with 19 seconds remaining. But Mitchell’s 3 gave Cleveland a one-point lead.
“Tonight was a good win,” Mitchell said. "But there are things we - myself - could have done better to ultimately, not rely on that last shot.”
Thomas missed a 3 for the Nets in the final seconds.
“The play was for Mikal,” Brooklyn coach Jacques Vaughn said of the last play. “Caris (LeVert) did a great job of fighting over (the screen), making (the shot) tough. Cam was supposed to (get) it to Mikal. I couldn't call a timeout. I'm across halfcourt trying to, though."
The Cavaliers played short-handed. Allen was sidelined by a bone bruise in his left ankle, and reserve forward Dean Wade missed the game because of an illness.
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: Host Oklahoma City on Friday night.
Nets: Visit Dallas on Friday night for their first game since they traded Kyrie Irving to the Mavericks in a blockbuster deal in February.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Evan Mobley vs. Nic Claxton (Spencer Dinwiddie gains possession) | ||
| 11:36 | | Ben Simmons misses two point turnaround hook shot | ||
| 11:33 |  | Evan Mobley defensive rebound | ||
| 11:28 | | +3 | Donovan Mitchell makes three point stepback jump shot | 3-0 |
| 11:14 | | +3 | Spencer Dinwiddie makes three point jump shot (Ben Simmons assists) | 3-3 |
| 10:59 | | +2 | Darius Garland makes two point driving floating bank jump shot | 5-3 |
| 10:47 | | Nic Claxton misses two point jump shot | ||
| 10:44 | | Max Strus defensive rebound | ||
| 10:39 | | Max Strus misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:39 | | Donovan Mitchell offensive rebound | ||
| 10:26 | | Donovan Mitchell misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 10:23 | | Ben Simmons defensive rebound | ||
| 10:18 | | Spencer Dinwiddie misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 10:15 | | Nic Claxton offensive rebound | ||
| 10:12 | | Donovan Mitchell blocks Nic Claxton's two point turnaround hook shot | ||
| 10:09 | | Donovan Mitchell defensive rebound | ||
| 10:07 | | +3 | Max Strus makes three point running jump shot (Donovan Mitchell assists) | 8-3 |
| 9:49 | | Isaac Okoro personal foul (Nic Claxton draws the foul) | ||
| 9:39 | | +2 | Nic Claxton makes two point alley-oop dunk (Mikal Bridges assists) | 8-5 |
| 9:25 | | +2 | Darius Garland makes two point driving floating jump shot | 10-5 |
| 9:17 | | Mikal Bridges turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 8:57 | | +2 | Evan Mobley makes two point turnaround jump shot (Isaac Okoro assists) | 12-5 |
| 8:33 | | Nic Claxton misses two point layup | ||
| 8:30 | | Nic Claxton offensive rebound | ||
| 8:30 | | Nic Claxton misses two point putback layup | ||
| 8:29 | | Mikal Bridges offensive rebound | ||
| 8:27 | | Mikal Bridges misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 8:24 | | Max Strus defensive rebound | ||
| 8:22 | | +2 | Isaac Okoro makes two point running jump shot (Max Strus assists) | 14-5 |
| 8:22 | | Spencer Dinwiddie shooting foul (Isaac Okoro draws the foul) | ||
| 8:22 | | Isaac Okoro misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | ||
| 8:20 | | Ben Simmons defensive rebound | ||
| 8:10 | | Ben Simmons misses two point driving reverse layup | ||
| 8:08 | | Isaac Okoro defensive rebound | ||
| 8:04 | | +2 | Donovan Mitchell makes two point running layup (Isaac Okoro assists) | 16-5 |
| 8:04 | | Nets 60 second timeout | ||
| 7:44 | | +2 | Mikal Bridges makes two point pullup jump shot (Nic Claxton assists) | 16-7 |
| 7:28 | | Mikal Bridges personal foul (Max Strus draws the foul) | ||
| 7:21 | | +3 | Max Strus makes three point jump shot (Isaac Okoro assists) | 19-7 |
| 7:10 | | Evan Mobley blocks Cameron Johnson's two point driving layup | ||
| 7:08 | | Max Strus defensive rebound | ||
| 7:03 | | Isaac Okoro turnover (lost ball) (Cameron Johnson steals) | ||
| 6:58 | | +2 | Cameron Johnson makes two point running finger roll layup (Nic Claxton assists) | 19-9 |
| 6:37 | | Nic Claxton blocks Isaac Okoro's two point turnaround hook shot | ||
| 6:34 | | Mikal Bridges defensive rebound | ||
| 6:28 | | Cam Thomas misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:23 | | Nic Claxton offensive rebound | ||
| 6:23 | | Evan Mobley blocks Nic Claxton's two point tip layup | ||
| 6:23 | | Max Strus defensive rebound | ||
| 6:18 | | Cameron Johnson personal foul (Darius Garland draws the foul) | ||
| 6:10 | | +3 | Isaac Okoro makes three point jump shot (Donovan Mitchell assists) | 22-9 |
| 5:52 | | +3 | Dorian Finney-Smith makes three point jump shot (Cam Thomas assists) | 22-12 |
| 5:38 | | Max Strus misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:34 | | Donovan Mitchell offensive rebound | ||
| 5:34 | | +2 | Donovan Mitchell makes two point tip layup | 24-12 |
| 5:30 | | Evan Mobley personal foul (Ben Simmons draws the foul) | ||
| 5:24 | | +2 | Ben Simmons makes two point alley-oop dunk (Mikal Bridges assists) | 24-14 |
| 5:05 | | Caris LeVert misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:03 | | Dorian Finney-Smith defensive rebound | ||
| 5:00 | | Ty Jerome shooting foul (Mikal Bridges draws the foul) | ||
| 5:00 | | +1 | Mikal Bridges makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 24-15 |
| 5:00 | | Mikal Bridges misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 4:58 | | Georges Niang defensive rebound | ||
| 4:46 | | Donovan Mitchell misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 4:44 | | Dorian Finney-Smith defensive rebound | ||
| 4:37 | | +2 | Cam Thomas makes two point pullup jump shot (Ben Simmons assists) | 24-17 |
| 4:23 | | Day'Ron Sharpe personal foul (Donovan Mitchell draws the foul) | ||
| 4:13 | | +2 | Ty Jerome makes two point driving floating jump shot | 26-17 |
| 3:56 | | Cam Thomas misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 3:52 | | Day'Ron Sharpe offensive rebound | ||
| 3:52 | | Day'Ron Sharpe turnover (lost ball) (Donovan Mitchell steals) | ||
| 3:46 | | +3 | Caris LeVert makes three point stepback jump shot | 29-17 |
| 3:25 | | Georges Niang shooting foul (Cam Thomas draws the foul) | ||
| 3:25 | | +1 | Cam Thomas makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 29-18 |
| 3:25 | | +1 | Cam Thomas makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 29-19 |
| 3:17 | | Spencer Dinwiddie personal foul (Darius Garland draws the foul) | ||
| 3:17 | | +1 | Darius Garland makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 30-19 |
| 3:17 | | +1 | Darius Garland makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 31-19 |
| 3:01 | | +2 | Day'Ron Sharpe makes two point alley-oop dunk (Spencer Dinwiddie assists) | 31-21 |
| 2:48 | | Damian Jones offensive foul (Royce O'Neale draws the foul) | ||
| 2:48 | | Damian Jones turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 2:48 | | Cavaliers 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:29 | | +2 | Cam Thomas makes two point driving floating jump shot | 31-23 |
| 2:10 | | +2 | Damian Jones makes two point cutting dunk (Caris LeVert assists) | 33-23 |
| 1:52 | | Damian Jones shooting foul (Cam Thomas draws the foul) | ||
| 1:52 | | +1 | Cam Thomas makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 33-24 |
| 1:52 | | +1 | Cam Thomas makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 33-25 |
| 1:35 | | Darius Garland misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 1:32 | | Cam Thomas defensive rebound | ||
| 1:20 | | +2 | Cam Thomas makes two point driving floating bank jump shot | 33-27 |
| 1:05 | | Darius Garland turnover (bad pass) (Cam Thomas steals) | ||
| 1:04 | | Caris LeVert shooting foul (Cam Thomas draws the foul) | ||
| 1:04 | | +1 | Cam Thomas makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 33-28 |
| 1:04 | | Cam Thomas misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 1:02 | | Georges Niang defensive rebound | ||
| 0:49 | | Day'Ron Sharpe blocks Darius Garland's two point layup | ||
| 0:45 | | Darius Garland offensive rebound | ||
| 0:38 | | +2 | Darius Garland makes two point driving finger roll layup | 35-28 |
| 0:31 | | +3 | Cam Thomas makes three point stepback jump shot | 35-31 |
| 0:11 | | +2 | Evan Mobley makes two point alley-oop dunk (Darius Garland assists) | 37-31 |
| 0:03 | | Evan Mobley shooting foul (Cam Thomas draws the foul) | ||
| 0:03 | | Cam Thomas misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 0:03 | | Nets offensive rebound | ||
| 0:03 | | +1 | Cam Thomas makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 37-32 |
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:43 | | +3 | Darius Garland makes three point pullup jump shot | 40-32 |
| 11:27 | | +2 | Royce O'Neale makes two point driving floating jump shot (Mikal Bridges assists) | 40-34 |
| 11:09 | | Damian Jones offensive foul (Mikal Bridges draws the foul) | ||
| 11:09 | | Damian Jones turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 10:55 | | Royce O'Neale misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:50 | | Mikal Bridges offensive rebound | ||
| 10:46 | | +3 | Dennis Smith Jr. makes three point jump shot (Spencer Dinwiddie assists) | 40-37 |
| 10:27 | | +2 | Darius Garland makes two point fadeaway jump shot | 42-37 |
| 10:14 | | Max Strus shooting foul (Mikal Bridges draws the foul) | ||
| 10:14 | | +1 | Mikal Bridges makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 42-38 |
| 10:14 | | +1 | Mikal Bridges makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 42-39 |
| 9:59 | | +2 | Evan Mobley makes two point driving floating jump shot | 44-39 |
| 9:41 | | Mikal Bridges misses two point driving layup | ||
| 9:39 | | Evan Mobley defensive rebound | ||
| 9:34 | | Darius Garland turnover (bad pass) (Mikal Bridges steals) | ||
| 9:31 | | Caris LeVert blocks Mikal Bridges's two point running layup | ||
| 9:30 | | Nets offensive rebound | ||
| 9:27 | | Mikal Bridges offensive foul (Caris LeVert draws the foul) | ||
| 9:27 | | Mikal Bridges turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 9:14 | | Caris LeVert misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:11 | | Royce O'Neale defensive rebound | ||
| 9:02 | | Royce O'Neale misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:02 | | Evan Mobley defensive rebound | ||
| 8:54 | | Georges Niang misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 8:51 | | Nic Claxton defensive rebound | ||
| 8:47 | | Max Strus shooting foul (Spencer Dinwiddie draws the foul) | ||
| 8:47 | | +1 | Spencer Dinwiddie makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 44-40 |
| 8:47 | | +1 | Spencer Dinwiddie makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 44-41 |
| 8:25 | | Evan Mobley misses two point cutting layup | ||
| 8:23 | | Cameron Johnson defensive rebound | ||
| 8:01 | | Cameron Johnson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:56 | | Caris LeVert defensive rebound | ||
| 7:52 | | Georges Niang misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 7:48 | | Georges Niang offensive rebound | ||
| 7:46 | | Georges Niang misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:44 | | Georges Niang offensive rebound | ||
| 7:42 | | Caris LeVert misses two point driving layup | ||
| 7:40 | | Cameron Johnson defensive rebound | ||
| 7:36 | | Mikal Bridges misses two point running layup | ||
| 7:33 | | Donovan Mitchell defensive rebound | ||
| 7:29 | | +3 | Caris LeVert makes three point jump shot (Max Strus assists) | 47-41 |
| 7:26 | | Nets 60 second timeout | ||
| 7:04 | | +2 | Day'Ron Sharpe makes two point floating jump shot (Cameron Johnson assists) | 47-43 |
| 6:46 | | Ben Simmons blocks Max Strus's two point cutting layup | ||
| 6:45 | | Mikal Bridges defensive rebound | ||
| 6:40 | | +3 | Cameron Johnson makes three point running jump shot (Ben Simmons assists) | 47-46 |
| 6:12 | | Max Strus misses two point driving layup | ||
| 6:09 | | Ben Simmons defensive rebound | ||
| 6:06 |