The Cavaliers got a pair of bigs back for their Monday rematch with the Nets – and both made an immediate difference – but Cleveland couldn’t close the deal down the stretch and fell for the fourth straight occasion.
The Cavaliers led by a dozen points early in the third quarter, but went cold to close period as Brooklyn pulled away late – handing the Wine & Gold the 117-112 loss at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
After missing the previous nine games under the league’s health and safety protocol, Lauri Markkanen returned to the starting lineup. Jarrett Allen, who was out with a non-COVID-related illness, also returned after a three-game layoff.