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The Brooklyn Nets secured seventh place in the Eastern Conference with a 115-108 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Play-In tournament at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
The Nets are now in a first-round playoff series with the Boston Celtics.
Brooklyn set a blistering pace with 40 points in the first quarter, at which point it looked like things were going to get out of hand quickly. Instead, the Cavaliers continued to hang around, trailing by just six points in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter.
Kevin Durant hit a pair of pull-up jumpers to take the Nets to 10, 103-93 at 3:38 on the clock. Cleveland stayed within range but didn’t get close enough to threaten Brooklyn’s lead.
Notable Actors
Kyrie Irving, PG, Nets: 34 points, 3 rebounds, 12 assists
Kevin Durant, PF, Nets: 25 points, 5 rebounds, 11 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks
Darius Garland, PG, Cavaliers: 34 points, five assists, 2 steals
Evan Mobley, C, Cavaliers: 19 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks
Nets Stars too much for understaffed Cavs
Despite all the dysfunction the Nets experienced that year, there remained a glimmer of hope in Brooklyn that things would start clicking in the postseason. If you have Durant and Kyrie Irving both healthy and available, you’ll like your chances in a best-of-seven playoff series.
Tuesday showed exactly why as the pair set fire to Cleveland’s defense. Sometimes basketball boils down to having the two best players on the floor.
Mike Vorkunov @MikeVorkunov
Kyrie + KD in the first half: a 13-of-14 combo shooting from the floor and 4-of-4 from the line. KD has 12 and 7 assists. Kyrie has 20 points and four assists. The Nets are up 14 at halftime because their stars almost literally can’t miss.
Kristian Winfield #NFTAllStar @Krisplashed
This is how these games are supposed to be played. They should be dominant and leave no doubt as to who is the better team. The Nets are here at 8:45 in Q3 at 20 over the Cavs. Brooklyn overwhelms Cleveland. Too many weapons on offense.
Irving in particular seemed to enjoy throwing misery on his old team. Even when the Cavaliers defended him well, he couldn’t miss. There aren’t many stars more electrifying than the 30-year-old guard when he’s at his best.
Bleacher Report @BleacherReport
Kyrie is hosting a SHOW.
Nets up 40-20 after 1Q. pic.twitter.com/qCQ1aFNtNe
Bleacher Report @BleacherReport
Kyrie. unreal
He’s 9/9 at the end of the first half pic.twitter.com/JYrBJt7VxW
Irving made his first 12 shots and didn’t see a try bounce off the rim until the fourth quarter.
However, this game raised some red flags. Cleveland beat Brooklyn in the last three quarters, and the Nets struggled in the brief moments when head coach Steve Nash tried to give Durant and Irving a breather.
Yaya Dubin @JADubin5
It’s probably not good for the Nets’ prospects that I get nervous for them when KD misses 4 minutes in 2Q against the Cavs without Jarrett Allen, but there they are right now.
Dan Devine @YourManDevine
I imagine it’s cold consolation after watching two Hall of Famers line up a supposedly perfect half of basketball against you, but when the Cavs just *don’t* go 3-for-14 of 3 could, they could be in business if the Nets keep playing with their food
Every time the Cavs ran to reduce the deficit, there still wasn’t much drama. Durant or Irving would hit a big bucket or find an open teammate at a critical time.
Things could get a little trickier if the Nets take their foot off the gas against a tougher opponent.
Allen’s absence proves costly
What could have been for Cleveland.
Even if the team stayed perfectly healthy, the Cavs eventually had to hit a wall. Sooner or later the more experienced competitors in the conference would push them down the rankings.
But Evan Mobley’s ankle injury and Jarrett Allen’s broken finger left JB Bickerstaff’s side stuttering on the track. Allen remains incapacitated and the ramifications of his absence have once again been laid bare.
Kirk Goldsberry @kirkgoldsberry
Cav’s defensive rating before Jarrett Allen’s injury:
106.5, 4th place in the NBASince
117.3, 21st place in the NBA pic.twitter.com/sqsQPJvh3J
Hayden Grove @H_Grove
The Cavs are out of gas and this is a terrible matchup for them. Add an injury from Jarrett Allen and here we are.
It is in order! A one-game winner-take-all moment in Cleveland on Friday is all you could wish for given the adversity they endured at the end of this season. #cavs
This game has given Cleveland some advantages. When it comes to morale wins, they certainly count when a young team doesn’t throw in the towel in their first postseason test. The extent to which the supporting cast struggled was an indication that the playoffs — which in this case is effectively a playoff game — are a different beast.
Ashley Bastock @AshleyBastock42
Cavs other than Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Kevin Love are 9 of 34 (26.5%) out of the field and entering 4Q.
The way Darius Garland put offense on his back reinforced how he can be a cornerstone for the future of the franchise.
Bleacher Report @BleacherReport
Darius Garland OH MY 😳 pic.twitter.com/8UVamYSYke
Chris Fedor @ChrisFedor
#cavs Darius Garland is in absolute takeover mode. No one else is actually touching the ball on offense — and no one else should be doing it right now. He torches every defender in his path.
If they suffer another loss, not qualifying for the playoffs will undoubtedly be a disappointment compared to what the Cavs did in the regular season. But with 44 wins this year was already a success.
What’s next?
Brooklyn and Boston will start their series on Sunday. The Cavs will now play either the Charlotte Hornets or the Atlanta Hawks at home on Friday to determine the No. 8 pick.