The Brooklyn Nets are trying to steady themselves after an opening-night loss to the Charlotte Hornets, and now the challenge gets bigger fast with a road trip to face the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Cleveland is coming off a season opener in which it blew a 29-point lead to its former hometown hero, LeBron James, and the Philadelphia 76ers. The Cavaliers now return home looking to reset and lean into the parts of their game that worked for most of that night.
For Brooklyn, the first order of business is obvious: slow Donovan Mitchell. He was the engine in the loss, finishing with 32 points on 11-of-19 shooting and 10 rebounds. Mitchell can punish a defense in plenty of ways - from deep, off the bounce, or with a downhill burst that can turn into something far louder at the rim.
The Cavs have more ways to stress a defense, too. James Harden is expected to handle more of the orchestration at this point in his career, though he can still go off for a 30-point night when everything is humming.
Jarrett Allen is a threat rolling to the basket and finishing Harden’s lob passes, and he could put pressure on the Nets’ shaky interior defense. Harden could also create clean looks for Evan Mobley around the paint and midrange.
Brooklyn, though, had at least one encouraging sign even in defeat. Julius Randle helped set the tone against Charlotte by attacking the rim and finding teammates in good spots all over the floor, with Michael Porter Jr. benefiting in particular. The Nets didn’t have that kind of bulky interior force last season, and Randle’s presence alone should help them chip away at last year’s win total.
There were rough spots in the backcourt, though. Egor Demin did not make a 3-pointer in the opener, while Mikel Brown Jr. showed flashes, including a deep 3, but also looked like a rookie finding his footing in his first game as a pro.
Jordi Fernandez may need some time to sort through the rotations, but if Randle and Porter shoulder the scoring load and Brooklyn generates better shots, the Nets should at least have a chance to make this one interesting.
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Nets Showed One Encouraging Trait Fans Cant Ignore In Loss
The Nets had a hard time keeping pace with Cleveland for much of the night, but they found something to hang onto in the fourth quarter. Brooklyns shooting and defense were uneven throughout the game, yet the teams effort on the glass and general fight back into the contest gave the building a different feel as the comeback started to take shape. Julius Randle and Michael Porter Jr. helped keep the offense afloat, and the Nets looked far more connected when the game started slipping away from them.
Egor Dmin was at the center of that push, giving Brooklyn a burst of energy late as the Cavaliers were forced to sweat out the finish. Even in defeat, the Nets showed a level of resilience that has been missing too often, and that matters for a team still trying to establish a baseline for how it wants to compete. The loss stings, but the way Brooklyn closed is the kind of stretch fans will remember the next time this group needs a little more edge. [Read more 🡒]
Nets 0-2 Start Still Brought A Promising Sign Fans Needed
The Nets are still searching for their first win after an 0-2 start, but there has already been one encouraging development for fans to latch onto. Egor Demin and Mikel Brown Jr. both flashed the kind of early-season promise Brooklyn can build around, giving the team something beyond the scoreboard to point to as the season settles in.
Demins play in particular offered a reminder that the Nets may have found a young piece worth watching closely, while Brown has been easing in after his preseason ankle injury. In a league where so much attention gets paid to the established stars and the headlines around them, Brooklyns early days have at least produced a couple of bright spots the organization can keep developing. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Suddenly Need Answers In The Middle At The Worst Time
The middle of the floor has become a suddenly uneasy place for the Clippers, and it happened early against the Nets when Ivica Zubac went down in the first quarter after rolling his left ankle. He left the game with 4:57 remaining in the period, and with the roster already dealing with injuries elsewhere, any issue involving the starting center carries extra weight this time of year.
The team later said Zubac had a left ankle sprain and would not return, which only sharpens the concern around what comes next. For Brooklyn, the matchup itself may fade quickly, but the bigger question is how the Clippers manage the frontcourt if Zubac is forced to miss time during an already crowded stretch. [Read more 🡒]