NBA: Cleveland claws back from a 14-point deficit to keep untainted record

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ best NBA start in their entire franchise history continued after extending their unbeaten winning streak to 11 games on November 10, 2024, in the ongoing regular season.

Down by as much as 14 points, the Cavaliers flipped the switch in the fourth quarter and executed their plays to perfection down the stretch to frustrate the Brooklyn Nets, 105-100, who were so close to becoming the first team to hand Cleveland their first loss of the 2024-2025 season.

The Cavaliers woke up from a sub-par performance in the third frame, when they only scored 13 points, their lowest-scoring quarter in the NBA so far. They vented their ire in the final 12 minutes, backstopped by the 1-2 punch of Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, who both stepped up when their team needed them the most.

After an ice-cold start to the game when he only scored 12 points in the first three quarters, Garland stepped on the gas pedal in the final canto and sank clutch shot after clutch shot that helped the Cavaliers’ come-from-behind effort.

Garland kicked off his personal scoring avalanche with a pair of mid-range jumpers followed by a floater in the lane that gave Cleveland back the lead.

The crafty and shifty backcourt star then went on a fishing expedition, drawing two fouls that resulted in two trips to the charity stripe.

Picking up where Garland left off was Mobley, who secured the biggest block of the game when he swatted away Brooklyn’s final attempt in the last 10 seconds of the game.

Garland ended up with 20 points, six assists, a rebound, and a steal, while Mobley had a dominant double-double outing of 23 markers and 16 rebounds.

Despite an off-night from their franchise player Donovan Mitchell, who only sank five out of his 12 total attempts, his support group filled the void, including Caris LeVert who added 12 points, six assists, and two blocks.

The Cavaliers were bound for another lopsided win after establishing their lead to as much as 15 points in the first half, courtesy of Mitchell’s early surge.

However, Brooklyn rekindled their fire in the third as they dropped 27 points, courtesy of a rolling Cameron Johnson who just can’t miss from the three-point line.

Off a timeout heading into the last quarter, the Cavaliers doubled their effort on the defensive end and started to click on offense in the remaining six minutes.

With Mitchell focusing more on distributing the leather, the trio of LeVert, Garland, and Mobley took the responsibility of providing the much-needed scoring touch for the Cavaliers.

On the other hand, the Nets had another solid outing from their backcourt tandem of Cam Thomas and Dennis Schroder who chipped in 22 points each but their shot-making ability went flat in the clutch period of the fourth when Cleveland put the clamps down.

The Cavaliers will aim for their 12^th straight win and extend their undefeated record on November 12, 2024, as they square off against the Chicago Bulls in an Eastern Conference showdown.