CLEVELAND — The Nets were in desperate need of assistance beyond Julius Randle and Michael Porter Jr. And, well, Egor Dëmin stepped up. However, his impressive late-game performance and shooting in the fourth quarter weren’t enough to bridge the gap created earlier in the game.
After losing their home opener, Brooklyn suffered a 125-121 defeat against the Cavaliers on Saturday night in front of a sold-out crowd of 19,432 at Rocket Arena, which included team owner Joe Tsai.
He traveled to witness the game, only to see his team come up short in a tough loss.
The Nets found themselves down by 22 points after a Jaylon Tyson three-pointer late in the game, but they fought back to narrow the deficit to just four.
The Cavaliers, who previously squandered a 29-point lead in their season opener against Philadelphia, almost let this one slip away as well. Almost, but not quite.
Dëmin’s performance was a silver lining for the Nets, who were reeling after their earlier loss to Charlotte. He had acknowledged his poor showing against the Hornets and improved significantly this time. Dëmin scored 22 points, dished out six assists, and made five of ten attempts from beyond the arc, with 15 of those points coming in the fourth quarter as Brooklyn clawed back from what was originally a 22-point deficit.
This certainly should boost his confidence, although it still wasn’t enough to secure a win.
“Yeah, I think it shows a lot about how good of a leader he is at his age. He sets high standards for himself,” coach Jordi Fernández noted. “I told him this morning to stay aggressive and do the things we need from him. Don’t get discouraged.”
Fernández emphasized the importance of good defense, noting that Dëmin is a big guard who can contribute in various ways, including rebounding. It’s understandable to feel anxious during the first game, but sometimes a solid defensive play or a rebound can help build confidence. There’s a bit of a learning curve in the NBA, after all.
Randle had 23 points, adding to his impressive stats as the only other player alongside James Harden to achieve 20-5-5 in consecutive seasonal starts. Meanwhile, Porter Jr. was the top scorer for Brooklyn with 28 points.
But for most of the night, they were the only offensive contributors.
Now, at 0-2, the Nets are looking ahead to a back-to-back game coming up against the Pacers at home.
Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 22 points, supported by Jarrett Allen with 21.
The loss in Cleveland starts a tough stretch—six consecutive games against teams expected to compete for playoff spots, with Las Vegas predicting at least 44.5 wins for them. Things might get more challenging before they get better.
The opening quarter was close and marked by back-and-forth action, but that momentum fizzled out as the night went on, save for their late surge.
For a moment, with a free throw from Nolan Traore, the Nets briefly led 30-29 late in the first, but a quick 11-0 run from the Cavaliers afterward put them firmly in control.
Mitchell capped off that run with a free throw, leaving the Nets down 40-30 early in the second quarter, and they wouldn’t regain the lead from that point forward.
They did come within one point when Dëmin assisted Keon Ellis for a three-pointer, closing it to 45-44, but a swift 13-2 run from the Cavaliers left them trailing again.
After falling behind by a dozen points from a Peyton Watson three-pointer, the Nets found themselves in a difficult position until Dëmin ignited the scoring.
Brooklyn was down 104-82 with less than ten minutes to play, but then they surged back. Even when they trailed 106-88, Dëmin hit three consecutive three-pointers, the last one assisted by Randle, closing the gap to 108-97 with just over seven minutes left. Porter’s three-pointer made it 123-121 with 8.1 seconds remaining.
Yet, they never managed to get over the hump.
