Game ID: 22300735
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Brooklyn Nets
Thursday, February 8, 2024 at 7:30 PM ET
Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
BKN 21 30 18 26 95CLE 32 27 31 28 118
BKN vs CLE ScoutingBKN vs CLE Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
BKN availability going into 1/31 · 1 day's restOUT Wilson missed 11 since 1/05, out tonight
OUT Sharpe missed 9 since 1/11, out tonight
OUT Keo. Johnson missed 15 since 12/29, out tonight
BACK Simmons back 1/29 after 38, 18 min since (76% of 24)
BACK Clowney back 1/29 after 14, 4 min since (22% of 16)
BACK Watford back 1/29 after 3, 4 min since (26% of 14)
BKN availability going into 2/03 · 2 days' restOUT Finney-Smith missed 2 since 1/29, out tonight
OUT Wilson missed 12 since 1/05, out tonight
OUT Sharpe missed 10 since 1/11, out tonight
OUT Keo. Johnson missed 16 since 12/29, out tonight
BACK Simmons back 1/29 after 38, 18 min since (76% of 24)
BACK Clowney back 1/29 after 14, 4 min since (22% of 16)
BACK Watford back 1/29 after 3, 5 min since (33% of 14)
BKN availability going into 2/05 · 1 day's restOUT Finney-Smith missed 3 since 1/29, out tonight
OUT Clowney missed 2 since 1/31, out tonight
OUT Wilson missed 13 since 1/05, out tonight
OUT Sharpe missed 11 since 1/11, out tonight
OUT Keo. Johnson missed 17 since 12/29, out tonight
BACK Simmons back 1/29 after 38, 16 min since (67% of 24)
BACK Watford back 1/29 after 3, 6 min since (43% of 14)
NEW Walker IV 17 to 23 min over the last 5
BKN availability going into 2/06 · back-to-backOUT Finney-Smith missed 4 since 1/29, out tonight
OUT Clowney missed 3 since 1/31, returns tonight: 4 min (27% of 16)
OUT Wilson missed 14 since 1/05, returns tonight: 18 min (115% of 16)
OUT Sharpe missed 12 since 1/11, out tonight
OUT Keo. Johnson missed 18 since 12/29, out tonight
BACK Simmons back 1/29 after 38, 16 min since (67% of 24)
BACK Watford back 1/29 after 3, 6 min since (43% of 14)
BKN availability going into 2/08 · 1 day's restOUT Finney-Smith missed 5 since 1/29, out tonight
OUT Sharpe missed 13 since 1/11, out tonight
OUT Keo. Johnson missed 19 since 12/29, returns tonight: 14 min (116% of 12)
BACK Simmons back 1/29 after 38, 17 min since (73% of 24)
BACK Clowney back 1/29 after 14, 4 min since (25% of 16)
BACK Wilson back 2/06 after 14, 18 min since (115% of 16)
BACK Watford back 1/29 after 3, 5 min since (37% of 14)
NEW Walker IV 17 to 23 min over the last 4
BKN availability going into 2/10 · 1 day's restOUT Finney-Smith missed 6 since 1/29, returns tonight: 20 min (72% of 28)
OUT Cam. Johnson missed 2 since 2/06, out tonight
OUT Walker IV missed 2 since 2/06, returns tonight: 6 min (35% of 17)
OUT Sharpe missed 14 since 1/11, out tonight
BACK Clowney back 2/06 after 3, 14 min since (85% of 16)
BACK Wilson back 2/06 after 14, 29 min since (185% of 16)
BACK Keo. Johnson back 2/08 after 19, 14 min since (116% of 12)
BKN availability going into 2/13 · 2 days' restOUT Cam. Johnson missed 3 since 2/06, out tonight
OUT Sharpe missed 15 since 1/11, returns tonight: 9 min (57% of 15)
BACK Finney-Smith back 2/10 after 6, 20 min since (72% of 28)
BACK Walker IV back 2/10 after 2, 6 min since (35% of 17)
BACK Clowney back 2/06 after 3, 10 min since (64% of 16)
BACK Wilson back 2/06 after 14, 29 min since (188% of 16)
BACK Keo. Johnson back 2/08 after 19, 14 min since (116% of 12)
NEW Smith Jr. 19 to 25 min over the last 4
BKN availability going into 2/14 · back-to-backOUT Cam. Johnson missed 4 since 2/06, returns tonight: 18 min (64% of 28)
OUT Keo. Johnson missed 2 since 2/10, returns tonight: 12 min (98% of 12)
BACK Finney-Smith back 2/10 after 6, 20 min since (69% of 28)
BACK Walker IV back 2/10 after 2, 11 min since (66% of 17)
BACK Clowney back 2/06 after 3, 10 min since (64% of 16)
BACK Wilson back 2/06 after 14, 28 min since (177% of 16)
BACK Sharpe back 2/13 after 15, 9 min since (57% of 15)
BKN availability going into 2/22 · 7 days' restBACK Finney-Smith back 2/10 after 6, 18 min since (63% of 28)
BACK Cam. Johnson back 2/14 after 4, 18 min since (64% of 28)
BACK Walker IV back 2/10 after 2, 11 min since (63% of 17)
BACK Clowney back 2/06 after 3, 10 min since (61% of 16)
BACK Wilson back 2/06 after 14, 26 min since (167% of 16)
BACK Sharpe back 2/13 after 15, 11 min since (72% of 15)
BACK Keo. Johnson back 2/08 after 19, 13 min since (107% of 12)
CLE availability going into 2/01 · back-to-backOUT Porter Jr. missed 3 since 1/26, out tonight
OUT Thompson missed 4 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK Garland back 1/31 after 19, 20 min since (61% of 34)
BACK Eva. Mobley back 1/29 after 22, 22 min since (69% of 32)
BACK LeVert back 1/24 after 2, 25 min since (89% of 28)
CLE availability going into 2/03 · 1 day's restOUT Porter Jr. missed 4 since 1/26, returns tonight: 0 min (4% of 13)
OUT Thompson missed 5 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK Garland back 1/31 after 19, 22 min since (66% of 34)
BACK Eva. Mobley back 1/29 after 22, 22 min since (69% of 32)
BACK LeVert back 1/24 after 2, 26 min since (91% of 28)
CLE availability going into 2/05 · 1 day's restOUT Thompson missed 6 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK Garland back 1/31 after 19, 23 min since (67% of 34)
BACK Eva. Mobley back 1/29 after 22, 22 min since (71% of 32)
BACK Porter Jr. back 2/03 after 4, 0 min since (4% of 13)
CLE availability going into 2/07 · 1 day's restOUT Thompson missed 7 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK Garland back 1/31 after 19, 24 min since (71% of 34)
BACK Eva. Mobley back 1/29 after 22, 24 min since (75% of 32)
BACK Porter Jr. back 2/03 after 4, 2 min since (13% of 13)
CLE availability going into 2/08 · back-to-backOUT Thompson missed 8 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK Garland back 1/31 after 19, 25 min since (73% of 34)
BACK Porter Jr. back 2/03 after 4, 2 min since (13% of 13)
CLE availability going into 2/10 · 1 day's restOUT Thompson missed 9 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK Porter Jr. back 2/03 after 4, 2 min since (17% of 13)
CLE availability going into 2/12 · 1 day's restOUT Thompson missed 10 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK Porter Jr. back 2/03 after 4, 2 min since (17% of 13)
CLE availability going into 2/14 · 1 day's restOUT Porter Jr. missed 2 since 2/10, out tonight
OUT Thompson missed 11 since 1/24, out tonight
CLE availability going into 2/22 · 7 days' restOUT Wade missed 2 since 2/12, returns tonight: 13 min (62% of 20)
OUT Porter Jr. missed 3 since 2/10, returns tonight: 4 min (30% of 13)
OUT Thompson missed 12 since 1/24, out tonight
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Brooklyn comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 120, shooting 47 percent and 39 from three, 18 free throws a game; Thomas at 25 and Bridges at 24 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Finney-Smith (5 straight), Sharpe (13 straight). One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 108, shooting 51 percent and 39 from three, 19 free throws a game; Mitchell at 34 and Eva. Mobley at 17 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Cleveland wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Cleveland allowing 108 a night to Brooklyn's 120 and the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-1 a night and Brooklyn minus-5. Call it Cleveland 116, Brooklyn 115, Brooklyn keeping it close.
1/31 vs PHX 120-136 — BKN notes
BKN lost 120-136. BKN took 15 more shots (94 to 79), but shot 50% to PHX's 62%, 16 of 39 from three, and got to the line 13 times to PHX's 32. The glass went 27-42 against them. Thomas led with 25 (11 of 19, 1 of 4 from three); Bridges added 21, Walker IV 19. Q4 was theirs, 33-30, the deficit cut from 19 to 16, but the other 3 periods went 106-87 against them. Smith Jr.'s -15 in 19 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/03 @ PHI 136-121 — BKN notes
BKN won 136-121. BKN shot 52% (49 of 95) to PHI's 46%, 20 of 51 from three. BKN turned it over 10 times to PHI's 5. Thomas led with 40 (14 of 26, 5 of 11 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Bridges added 23, Walker IV 20. The hinge was Q1, 38-22: from level to 16 ahead, and the lead reached 30. Bridges was the night's best plus/minus at +25.
2/05 vs GSW 98-109 — BKN notes
BKN lost 98-109. BKN shot 38% (34 of 89) to GSW's 46%, 13 of 42 from three. The glass went 38-60 against them. Thomas led with 18 (4 of 21, 0 of 6 from three, 10 of 11 at the line); Claxton added 15, O'Neale 15. Q1 was theirs, 23-20, but the other 3 periods went 89-75 against them. Dinwiddie's -14 in 39 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/06 vs DAL 107-119 — BKN notes
BKN lost 107-119. BKN shot 45% (41 of 91) to DAL's 51%, 12 of 33 from three. Bridges led with 28 (11 of 21, 5 of 11 from three); O'Neale added 18, Thomas 16. Q4 was theirs, 30-24, the deficit cut from 18 to 12, but the other 3 periods went 95-77 against them. Thomas's -19 in 37 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/08 vs CLE 95-118 — BKN notes
BKN lost 95-118. BKN took 13 more shots (93 to 80), fed by 12 offensive rebounds, but shot 40% to CLE's 54%, 10 of 25 from three. The glass went 34-48 against them. Bridges led with 26 (10 of 23, 5 of 13 from three); Thomas added 17, Watford 15. Q2 was theirs, 30-27, the deficit cut from 11 to 8, but the other 3 periods went 91-65 against them. Bridges's -28 in 35 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/10 vs SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Brooklyn comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 121, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 17 free throws a game; Thomas at 23 and Bridges at 22 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 9 a night. Without Finney-Smith (6 straight), Cam. Johnson (2 straight), Walker IV (2 straight). One day's rest. San Antonio comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 116, shooting 45 percent and 30 from three, 19 free throws a game; Vassell at 25 and Wembanyama at 18 a game. That is 5 straight losses. One day's rest.
So: Brooklyn wins, and the game turns on the glass, where San Antonio has been plus-1 a night and Brooklyn minus-9 and the arc, Brooklyn at 37 percent from three to San Antonio's 30. Call it Brooklyn 117, San Antonio 112.
2/13 vs BOS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Brooklyn comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 114, shooting 46 percent and 39 from three, 17 free throws a game; Thomas at 23 and Bridges at 21 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Cam. Johnson (3 straight), Sharpe (15 straight). 2 days' rest. Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 111, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 16 free throws a game; Tatum at 28 and Porziņģis at 27 a game. That is 4 straight wins. One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Boston has been plus-3 a night and Brooklyn minus-6. Call it Boston 117, Brooklyn 113, Brooklyn keeping it close.
2/14 @ BOS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 111, shooting 51 percent and 37 from three, 19 free throws a game; Tatum at 31 and Porziņģis at 29 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Second night of a back-to-back. Brooklyn comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 113, shooting 46 percent and 40 from three, 18 free throws a game; Bridges at 22 and Thomas at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. Without Cam. Johnson (4 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Boston has been plus-3 a night and Brooklyn minus-8. Call it Boston 119, Brooklyn 110.
2/22 @ TOR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Toronto comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 118, shooting 45 percent and 32 from three, 22 free throws a game; Barrett at 19 and Barnes at 18 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Freeman-Liberty (10 straight). 7 days' rest. Brooklyn comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 104 a night and allowing 119, shooting 46 percent and 41 from three, 16 free throws a game; Bridges at 21 and Thomas at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. 7 days' rest.
So: Toronto wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Toronto has been plus-1 a night and Brooklyn minus-8 and the arc, Brooklyn at 41 percent from three to Toronto's 32. Call it Toronto 116, Brooklyn 112, Brooklyn keeping it close.
2/01 @ MEM 108-101 — CLE notes
CLE won 108-101. CLE shot 48% (41 of 86) to MEM's 41%, 14 of 35 from three. Mitchell led with 25 (10 of 19, 3 of 9 from three); LeVert added 16, Allen 14. The hinge was Q3, 30-22: CLE came in trailing by 7 and left it ahead by 1. CLE trailed 51-58 at the half and won the second half 57-43. Wade was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
2/03 @ SAS 117-101 — CLE notes
CLE won 117-101. CLE shot 47% (46 of 97) to SAS's 37%, 13 of 44 from three, and got to the line 13 times to SAS's 21. Mitchell led with 31 (12 of 20, 4 of 9 from three); Mobley added 28, Allen 26. The hinge was Q2, 37-20: a lead of 5 became 22, and the lead reached 26. Allen was the night's best plus/minus at +26.
2/05 vs SAC 136-110 — CLE notes
CLE won 136-110. CLE shot 58% (51 of 88) to SAC's 46%, 23 of 41 from three. Mitchell led with 29 (11 of 20, 5 of 11 from three); Strus added 22, Allen 19. The hinge was Q4, 30-18: a lead of 14 became 26, and the lead reached 29. Mitchell was the night's best plus/minus at +28.
2/07 @ WAS 114-106 — CLE notes
CLE won 114-106. CLE shot 49% (43 of 88) to WAS's 45%, 12 of 35 from three, and went to the line 22 times to WAS's 9 — 16 points from the stripe to their 6. Mitchell led with 40 (14 of 25, 5 of 10 from three, 7 of 7 at the line); Mobley added 22, Garland 13. The hinge was Q4, 34-27: a lead of 1 became 8. Okoro was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
2/08 @ BKN 118-95 — CLE notes
CLE won 118-95. CLE shot 54% (43 of 80) to BKN's 40%, 15 of 37 from three. The glass went 48-34 for them. Mitchell led with 27 (10 of 18, 4 of 10 from three); Allen added 14, Garland 14. The hinge was Q3, 31-18: a lead of 8 became 21, and the lead reached 31. Mobley was the night's best plus/minus at +25.
2/10 @ TOR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Toronto comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 126, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 20 free throws a game; Barrett at 22 and Barnes at 19 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Freeman-Liberty (7 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Cleveland comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 103, shooting 51 percent and 40 from three, 17 free throws a game; Mitchell at 30 and Eva. Mobley at 19 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Cleveland allowing 103 a night to Toronto's 126 and the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-4 a night and Toronto minus-5. Call it Cleveland 119, Toronto 110.
2/12 vs PHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 101, shooting 52 percent and 39 from three, 16 free throws a game; Mitchell at 28 and Eva. Mobley at 18 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest. Philadelphia comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 124, shooting 44 percent and 31 from three, 23 free throws a game; Maxey at 20 and Oubre Jr. at 18 a game. Without Embiid (6 straight), Melton (15 straight), Batum (7 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the defense, Cleveland allowing 101 a night to Philadelphia's 124 and the arc, Cleveland at 39 percent from three to Philadelphia's 31. Call it Cleveland 120, Philadelphia 109, Cleveland by 11.
2/14 vs CHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 106, shooting 52 percent and 40 from three, 19 free throws a game; Mitchell at 29 and Allen at 17 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest. Chicago comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 119, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 24 free throws a game; DeRozan at 29 and Vučević at 24 a game. Without Williams (8 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the defense, Cleveland allowing 106 a night to Chicago's 119 and the line, where Chicago takes 24 free throws a game to Cleveland's 19. Call it Cleveland 118, Chicago 111.
2/22 vs ORL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 105, shooting 50 percent and 35 from three, 20 free throws a game; Mitchell at 30 and Eva. Mobley at 16 a game. Without Wade (2 straight). 7 days' rest. Orlando comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 113, shooting 51 percent and 38 from three, 21 free throws a game; F. Wagner at 24 and Banchero at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. 7 days' rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the defense, Cleveland allowing 105 a night to Orlando's 113 and the turnovers, Orlando giving it away 15 times a game to Cleveland's 11. Call it Cleveland 115, Orlando 109.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
BKNBS B. Simmons
CT C. Thomas
DS D. Smith Jr.
JW J. Wilson
KJ K. Johnson
MB M. Bridges
NC N. Claxton
NC N. Clowney
TW T. Watford
CLECL C. LeVert
CP C. Porter Jr.
DG D. Garland
DJ D. Jones
DM D. Mitchell
DW D. Wade
EM E. Mobley
GN G. Niang
IO I. Okoro
JA J. Allen
MS M. Strus
SM S. Merrill
BKN/CLE the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Cavaliers beat short-handed Nets 118-95 for 8th straight victory and 16th in 17 games
NEW YORK -- — Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the short-handed Brooklyn Nets 118-95 on Thursday night for their eighth straight victory and 16th in 17 games.
Evan Mobley added 14 points and 12 rebounds, Jarrett Allen had 14 points and 10 rebounds and Darius Garland also scored 14 points.
Cleveland shot 53% from the field and had a 45-33 rebounding edge and assisted on 25 of the 41 made baskets on the second game of a back-to-back after winning at Washington on Wednesday night.
“You have fun because of the results, and you can enjoy it because of the results and what our message to the guys is," ” Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “You can have fun in the competition, you can have fun supporting one another, pulling for one another, doing the gritty, dirty things, sharing the ball.”
Mikal Bridges led Brooklyn with 26 points in its third straight loss. Cam Thomas added 17. The Nets have lost each of their three meetings against Cleveland, including the Jan. 11 meeting in France.
“It started pretty early for them again," Brooklyn coach Jacque Vaughn said. "Just like in Paris, Mitchell started off aggressive and really got it going early, kind of set the tone, was able to do that again tonight.”
The Nets were busy Thursday at the trade deadline. They sent Spencer Dinwiddie to Toronto for Dennis Schroder and Thaddeus Young , and moved Royce O’Neale to Phoenix for Keita Bates-Diop , Jordan Goodwin and two second-round picks. They also acquired the rights to Vanja Marinkovic from Memphis.
Cleveland led 59-51 to start the second half when Brooklyn’s Ben Simmons shoved Allen to the floor. Allen retaliated by charging past Mitchell and pushing Simmons back. Both players received technical fouls.
The Cavaliers responded with a 21-0 run, holding the Nets to 0-for-9 shooting and forcing two turnovers. Allen capped the run with a hook shot that made it 80-51.
“It was just the moment,” Allen said. “It’s a day-by-day type of thing. I’m just a guy that tries to stay even keeled, but when buttons are pushed there is a retaliation.”