Overview
- Cleveland topped Brooklyn 131-124 at Barclays Center, led by Donovan Mitchell’s 35 points as a 25-point lead shrank to one before the Cavs closed it out.
- Jarrett Allen scored 22 and Sam Merrill added 20 for Cleveland, which is still without Darius Garland, Max Strus and De’Andre Hunter as Kenny Atkinson mixes lineups.
- The Nets fell to 0-2 in a rebuild leaning on recent first-rounders, following a 136-117 opener loss to Charlotte and a 38-point fourth quarter allowed against Cleveland.
- New York beat Boston 105-95 at Madison Square Garden to start 2-0, while the Celtics dropped to 0-2 as Jayson Tatum remains out indefinitely recovering from an Achilles injury.
- The Knicks navigated uncertainty with Mitchell Robinson ruled out and Josh Hart listed as questionable on the NBA report, and their matchup with Boston streamed exclusively on Prime Video.