A telling sign of how well the Cleveland Cavaliers’ regular season is going is their focus on other trophies, such as Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley teaming up to win the All-Star skills competition.
The Cavaliers are on a roll again, winning four straight games heading into Thursday’s match-up against the Brooklyn Nets. This comes after an impressive season-opening 15-game winning streak and another 12-game run.
With a 44-10 record, the Cavs are just four wins away from matching last year’s total of 48-34 and within striking distance of their 51-win season the year before. Although their previous seasons ended before reaching the conference finals, this year’s team has a solid chance of winning at least 60 games for the third time in franchise history.
Cleveland’s current winning streak is their fifth stretch of at least four wins under first-year coach Kenny Atkinson. They entered the All-Star break with a 131-108 victory over the Toronto Raptors on February 12. De’Andre Hunter, acquired from the Atlanta Hawks at the deadline, scored 18 points as a reserve in his second game with the team. This marked the 15th time this season that the Cavaliers have scored at least 130 points.
The Cavaliers have secured 13 wins by at least 20 points, including a 130-101 blowout against Brooklyn on December 16. These dominant performances have allowed Atkinson to manage the minutes of key players such as Mitchell (31.3), Darius Garland (30.2), and Mobley (30.0).
Mitchell closed the first half of the season with 21 points in 29 minutes as Cleveland took a 24-point lead after the first quarter in Toronto. Garland contributed 15 points, while Mobley added 12 points and 15 rebounds for his 24th double-double of the season.
Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Nets were playing their best basketball of the season before the break. Since a 110-96 loss to the Sacramento Kings, Brooklyn has gone 6-1 in their past seven games, allowing just 91.5 points per game in their six victories.
Brooklyn entered the break with a 100-96 home win over the Philadelphia 76ers on February 12. The Nets held Philadelphia to 43.2 percent shooting from the field and 24.2 percent (8-of-33) from beyond the arc.
After the game, Nets players voiced strong opinions against fans hoping the team loses games for a better draft pick. D’Angelo Russell scored 22 points against the 76ers, while Trendon Watford added 18 and Nic Claxton chipped in 13 points. Claxton also collected five blocks, bringing his total to 22 blocks in his past seven games.
