Short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers fall to Brooklyn Nets: Cam Thomas scores in bunches

The Cleveland Cavaliers were without Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley once again, and their absences were too much to overcome as the Brooklyn Nets came out on top 120-101 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse behind Cam Thomas’ scoring explosion.

The Cavs have dealt with numerous injuries all season long. Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, and Evan Mobley all missed significant time but when their core all played together, they looked dominant. Cleveland is hoping to have their key players back once the playoffs come and if they do, this team will be a tough matchup in the East.

However, the Nets took advantage of their depleted team, starting with Cam Thomas. He scored a game high 29 points and drained 5 three pointers. Mikal Bridges also hit 5 triples, finishing with a total of 25 points. Nic Claxton recorded 16 points and 10 rebounds while Dennis Schroder had 17 points with 8 assists.

Georges Niang scored a team high 20 points on 67% shooting. Jarrett Allen finished with 15 points and 9 boards while Darius Garland had 14 points. Craig Porter Jr. ended with 13 points off the bench.

Brooklyn improves to 26-39 with this win and remains 3.5 games out of the play-in tournament. It’s been a tough season for the Nets as they have struggled for majority of the year. They are 5-5 over their last 10 games and will face off against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.

Cleveland drops to 41-23 with this loss and falls to the 3rd seed in the East. The Cavs are in a tight race with the Bucks for the 2nd seed, so this loss doesn’t bode well for them. They have tried to stay afloat without their All-Star Donovan Mitchell, as their record is 3-3 in his 6 missed games. Next up on the schedule is a meeting with the Phoenix Suns tomorrow night.