Cavs Top 3: Jarrett Allen’s return sparks win against his old team

The Cleveland Cavaliers got Jarrett Allen back just in time to bounce the Brooklyn Nets.

The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Brooklyn Nets 115-109 on Tuesday night, improving their record to 46-28 on the season and dropped the Nets to 39-33. The Cavs were able to take control of the game after the half and had a 94-78 lead heading into the fourth quarter. The Nets were able to out-pace the Cavs and closed the gap to just six points, but Brooklyn didn’t have the firepower needed to finish off the comeback.

The Cavs weren’t met with much resistance on offense, shooting over 50% from the floor, and just under 50% from three. The Cavs saw Donovan Mitchell, Caris LeVert, and Cedi Osman shoot 12-19 from behind the arch just from the three of them. Jarrett Allen returned to the Cavs after missing several games due to an eye injury and ironically came back against the Nets, his former team. He, Evan Mobley, Ricky Rubio, and Isaac Okoro played fantastic defense all night, something that was especially needed early on, as it kept the Nets too far out to make a comeback.

The only issue the Cavs need to worry about is their late-game defense. The Cavs, without Okoro on the court, pulled Osman and Rubio and essentially saw the Nets go on a 20-7 run until Okoro returned to the game. The Cavs scored just seven points with LeVert, Garland, and Mitchell on the court, a call that needs to be re-examined before the playoffs start.

If this is a defensive-minded team first, the Cavs need to run the lineups that produce the best results. If that means LeVert, Mitchell, Garland or someone else doesn’t get to be in the game at the end of it, oh well.

Cleveland Cavaliers Top 3 vs. the Brooklyn Nets

1 Point – Jarrett Allen

35 minutes, 12 points, 14 rebounds, 2 blocks, +1 BPM

2 Points – Cedi Osman

23 minutes, 12 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, +12 BPM

3 Points – Donovan Mitchell

37 minutes, 31 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, +20 BPM

Cavs Top 3 Seasonal Standings

1. Darius Garland – 86 Points
2. Donovan Mitchell –79 Points
3. Evan Mobley – 61 points
4. Jarrett Allen – 50 points
5. Cedi Osman –  43 points
6. Caris LeVert – 28 Points
7. Isaac Okoro & Kevin Love – 20 Points
8. Ricky Rubio – 5 points
9. Raul Neto & Dean Wade – 4 Points
10. Lamar Stevens – 3 points