Brooklyn’s Torrid Third-Quarter Too Much For Cavaliers In Defeat

Cleveland allowed 44 points in the third quarter in its 120-101 loss to Brooklyn on Sunday night.

On Sunday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Brooklyn Nets were in a tight contest through the game’s first 24 minutes.

Brooklyn led 52-51 as both teams headed into halftime.

But the third quarter proved to be the difference in the game’s outcome, as the Nets eventually eventually defeated the Cavaliers by a final score of 120-101.

Cleveland had its highest-scoring quarter in the period, putting up 29 points. The Wine and Gold shot an efficient 11-for-19 (57.9%) from the field and 4-for-7 (57.1%) from three-point range.

However, Brooklyn had an even better offensive showing in the quarter, shooting 17-for-24 (70.8%) from the field and 8-for-10 (80%) from beyond the arc.

After the game, Cavaliers Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff described what went wrong for the team in the third period.

“They went 8-for-10 from three,” Bickerstaff said. “We allowed some open ones, then we started to allow rolls and dunks. Overall, it just wasn’t a great quarter defensively for us, but they made shots on top of it.”

Mar 10, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Craig Porter (9) drives to the basket between Brooklyn Nets guard Dennis Schroder (17) and guard Dennis Smith Jr. (4) in the third quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse / © David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Although Cleveland did not win the game, the team did have some bright spots.

Georges Niang scored a team-high 20 points, shooting 8-for-12 (75%) from the field and 3-for-5 (60%) from deep. This was the forward’s second 20-point game of the season, with his first coming in a career performance back on January 17 against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Craig Porter Jr. also made a career-high three three-pointers en route to 13 points and four assists off the bench.

Up next, the Wine and Gold will wrap up a three-game homestand when they host the Phoenix Suns tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m.