Cavs: Collin Sexton is a star and three other things from win over Nets

The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Brooklyn Nets by 125-113 on Friday, taking the second in back-to-back to take the Cavs to 8-7 on the year.

The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Brooklyn Nets for the second straight game to the tune of 125-113 on Friday. The Cav rarely trailed all game, and absolutely outran the Nets all night. The Nets were down Kevin Durant but his play didn’t help them on Wednesday when the Cavs won in double overtime.

The Cavs were led by rising star Collin Sexton, who had 25 points and nine assists. Larry Nance, who’s quickly becoming a favorite in the Defensive Player of the Year award, had a steal and a block, on top of 15 points and 10 rebounds. Andre Drummond also had a double-double with 19 points and 16 rebounds.

The Nets were led by former Cavs guard Kyrie Irving who had 38 points and kept Brooklyn in the game.

So what did we learn from this game?

Collin Sexton is the man

Anyone who thought Collin Sexton wasn’t the best young player on this team hadn’t been paying attention or believed other people’s opinions. Sexton again led the way, helping the Cavs smack down the Nets in a mostly one-sided affair.

Darius Garland is rusty

Returning to the lineup for the first time in weeks, Darius Garland shot 4-of-13 and 1-of-4 from three for 11 points. He also had three assists and two turnovers. While Garland has been historically streaky, many will hope that this is just a sign of so much time off. Starting him off on the bench, however, was the right call, as it allows the starting five the ability to run the court like they’ve been doing.

Larry Nance is a DPOTY candidate

He’s able to create plays so effortlessly on defense, and his ability to then move the ball up the court for a score is so essential to this team. Even when Kevin Love returns, Nance should still get 25-30 minutes a game at a minimum.

New pieces continue to pay instant dividends.

Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince played like they wanted to get back at the team that traded them. Allen had 19 points with six rebounds,  shooting 7-of-9 from the floor. Prince had 14 points and went 6-of-6 from the free throw line.