Donovan Mitchell hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 12.1 seconds left as the Cleveland Cavaliers earned a 114-113 victory over the Brooklyn Nets Wednesday night in the season opener for both teams.
Two free throws by Mikal Bridges gave the Nets a 113-111 lead with 19 seconds left, and Cleveland used its final timeout.
Max Strus inbounded near the Brooklyn bench to Darius Garland. Garland quickly handed it off to Mitchell, who caught the Nets in a switch and calmly sank a three from the left wing when Brooklyn’s Cameron Johnson fell down.
After Mitchell’s clutch shot, Brooklyn used a timeout, but Johnson saw a well-contested four-foot tip shit fall well short of the hoop.
Mitchell scored 10 of his 27 points after returning with 5:45 remaining. He also hit a tying dunk with 41.4 seconds left after stealing the ball from Royce O’Neale near midcourt.
Strus hit seven of Cleveland’s 17 3s and finished with 27 points along with 12 rebounds. Isaac Okoro added 18, while Garland contributed 15 as the Cavaliers shot 46.8 percent.
Reserve Cam Thomas scored 36 points to lead all scorers but was on Brooklyn’s bench for most of the fourth quarter. Bridges added 20, and Johnson finished with 12 as the Nets shot 50 percent but misfired on 18 of 27 3-point tries.
Cleveland shot 65 percent and took a 37-32 lead through the opening quarter. Brooklyn tied the game four times in the second quarter, and the teams were locked at 63 heading into halftime.
Mitchell’s layup off an errant Brooklyn pass gave the Cavaliers an 83-73 lead with five minutes remaining. The Nets ended the third with a 16-7 run and trailed 90-87 going into the fourth.
A corner three by Dennis Smith Jr. gave the Nets their first lead at 97-95 with 9:20 left. Smith’s reverse layup hiked the lead to 101-95 with 8:07, prompting a Cleveland timeout.
Mitchell’s layup forged a 105-105 tie with 2:21 remaining, but O’Neale hit a three on the next possession for a 108-105 Brooklyn lead. After Mitchell missed in the lane, Thomas split two free throws with 96 seconds left to make it a four-point game.
–Field Level Media
