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The Brooklyn Nets won their third straight game and improved to 4-2 on Tuesday night, using a huge second quarter to pick up a comfortable win, 114-101, over the Cleveland Cavaliers at Barclays Center.
The Cavs held a one-point lead at the end of the first quarter, but the Nets, led by Joe Johnson, outscored them 35-12 in the second and led by as many as 24 points early in the third. Of course, the Nets let the lead dwindle all the way down to 10 by the end of the period, but that was as close as the Cavs would get, as Johnson and the bench stemmed the tide early in the fourth.
The Nets shot 55 percent from the field, but just 5-for-22 on threes. Johnson (25 and six) and Deron Williams (26 and 10) combined for 51 points and 16 assists, while Brook Lopez added 23 points, seven rebounds and four blocks.
Anderson Varejao led the Cavs with 35 points and 18 rebounds, and Kyrie Irving added 34 points and eight assists.
"They hit us in the mouth on both ends of the floor," Irving told SNY. "We got in a hole and it is hard to fight back against a great team like Brooklyn. When a team is making shots like that in the fourth quarter, it is kind of hard to come back.
"Brooklyn is a team to beat… They’re definitely looking forward to the playoffs."
The Nets had just one three-game winning streak last season, which came in late March.
- Boxscore - NBA.com
- Cavaliers vs. Nets (Video) - NBA.com
- Cavaliers vs. Nets: First half (Video) - NBA.com
- Notebook: Nets 114, Cavaliers 101 - Jake Appleman - NBA.com
- Williams, Johnson lead Nets over Cavaliers 114-101 - Brian Mahoney - AP
- Nets Post Game Plus (Video) - Nancy Newman - YES Network
- Johnson discusses 114-101 over Cavs (Video) - YES Network
- Lopez discusses his performance in win over Cavs (Video) - YES Network
- Avery Johnson discusses quality play (Video) - YES Network
- Nets Hold Lead Against More Physical Cavaliers - Ben Hoffman - New York Times
- Joe Johnson scores 25 as Nets drub Cavaliers - Rod Boone - Newsday
- Williams, Johnson combine to push Nets past Cavs - Stefan Bondy - NY Daily News
- Nets backups protect the rim after starters fail - Stefan Bondy - NY Daily News
- Brooklyn Nets coach calls on 'Bench Mob' in key moments - Kristie Ackert - NY Daily News
- After shaky third, new Nets emerge in fourth - Tim Smith - NY Daily News
- Nets guards help prevent another late collapse - Tim Bontemps - New York Post
- Hobbled Wallace, Brooks likely out until weekend - Tim Bontemps - New York Post
- Brooklyn must keep holding serve at Barclays - George Willis - New York Post
- Rapid Reaction: Nets 114, Cavs 101 - Mike Mazzeo - ESPN New York
- 'Anchor Joe' drops 12 straight on Cavs - Mike Mazzeo - ESPN New York
- Ex-coach Scott pleased to see Nets in BK - Mike Mazzeo - ESPN New York
- Talent, Not Glitzy Barclays Center, Giving Nets Boost At Home - Steve Lichtenstein - WFAN
- Nets' Johnson Emerges from Funk - Scott Cacciola - Wall Street Journal
- How Anderson Varejao Quietly Lit Up The Nets Last Night - Tom Ley - Deadspin
- The Nets Are Quietly 4–2 - Will Leitch - New York Magazine
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The Best and Worst of the Nets in One Package - Josh Alper - NBC New York
- Cavaliers fall to Nets in final game of 6-game, 11-day road trip - Jodie Valade - Cleveland Plain Dealer
- For Cavs, bench help sure wouldn't hurt - Sam Amico - FOX Sports Ohio
- Varejao, Irving set career highs, but Cavs close road trip with 114-101 loss to Nets - Jason Lloyd - Akron Beacon-Journal
- Brooklyn Nets Tickets - TiqIQ