The Cleveland Cavaliers entered Saturday night’s game against the Brooklyn Nets undefeated on a historic 10-game winning streak. The Nets gave the Cavs a tough challenge, but Cleveland was able to come back and win the game 105-11 thanks to multiple contributors. Evan Mobley stood out from the crowd and had an amazing stat line that has not been accomplished in a long time.
Mobley finished the game with a team-high 23 points, 16 rebounds, and four steals, making 10 of his 11 shots. Thus, he became the first Cav with at least 20 points, 15 rebounds, and two steals since Brad Daughtery, per Stat Muse.
Evan Mobley continues to blossom in front of Cavs fans’ eyes. Through his first 11 games, he is averaging a career-high 18.4 points along with 8.5 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, and 1.1 steals. He was not the only one who was impressive on Saturday night.
Donovan Mitchell followed Mobley’s effort with 22 points, and Darius Garland came alive with 20 points and six assists. Meanwhile, Caris LeVert totaled 12 points and six assists off the bench.
The Cavaliers did two key things to propel themselves over the Nets. First, they were more efficient in their shooting attempts. Cleveland amassed a field goal percentage of 54.1 percent compared to Brooklyn’s 34.9. Still, that did not completely stop the Nets from going away. As a result, the Cavs used their stifling defense, their next key to victory, to put Brooklyn away. The Cavs forced 17 turnovers on the Nets and racked up 12 steals and five blocks.
Saturday’s win was a significant one for head coach Kenny Atkinson. Atkinson coached the Nets from 2016 to 2020 and was a major reason for the franchise’s rise. Getting a win over the team that helped propel his coaching career forward must have felt like a positive, full-circle moment.
Evan Mobley, Donovan Mitchell, and the rest of the squad are playing hard for Atkinson, but they know they must keep up the intensity to reach greater goals by the end of the season.
