CLEVELAND _ The Cavaliers have a roster that includes 10 players who took part in the NBA Finals last season, which is a testament to exactly how well LeBron James must have played to take them that far. Without James, who signed with the Lakers as a free agent, the Cavs became fodder for a 102-86 Nets blowout victory Wednesday night at Quicken Loans Arena and dropped to 0-4 for the season.
The Nets (2-2) took charge with a 25-5 third-quarter run and hit 6 of 10 3-pointers in the period to build an 83-62 lead. Their lead reached a high of 23 points in the final quarter as they put together their finest defensive effort of the young season, holding the Cavs to 38.2 percent shooting. The Nets also cleaned up the turnover issue that had been plaguing them, committing just 14 miscues after throwing the ball away more than 20 times in each of the first three games.
D'Angelo Russell topped six Nets in double figures with 18 points and added eight assists, Joe Harris scored 16, and veteran Jared Dudley had his best game as a Nets with 12 points on 4 of 5 3-point shooting, and he played tough defense against Cavs star Kevin Love, who finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds. The Nets dominated in the paint with a 46-34 rebounding edge, and also hit 41.2 percent from 3-point range.
The Nets welcomed back two players who missed the entire preseason with injuries. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who suffered a strained adductor muscle in early August came off the bench at power forward rather than starting as he normally does, and Shabazz Napier, who suffered a strained hamstring in training camp, made his first appearance as a Net since signing as a free agent.
Coach Kenny Atkinson said both players would be limited in terms of minutes as they build back up. "He's been practicing and scrimmaging," Atkinson said of Hollis-Jefferson. "I'm sure there will be a little bit of an adjustment getting his game rhythm, but we've got to throw him in. I know he'll play hard, he's going to defend, he's going to rebound."
Atkinson said Napier can be a sparkplug at both ends of the court. "I think he can create a little havoc defensively with his ball pressure, and he's a guy that can be an X-factor offensively," Atkinson said. "He's got a really good grasp of the offense already."
Neither made much of an impact in a first half that ended tied at 45, though Napier did bury one 3-pointer. Caris LeVert, who averaged 24.7 points through the first three games struggled in the first half, scoring just two points on 1-for-7 shooting. The Nets had a seven-point lead early in the second quarter but let it slip away as they failed to generate any consistent offense, shooting just 34.0 percent from the field. They held the Cavs to 33.3 shooting but were outscored on second-chance points, 12-2.
The Nets came to life early in the third period, putting together a 25-5 run to build a 72-52 lead. Dudley made three straight 3s in that stretch and Russell and Harris each hit a 3-pointer as well. When Hollis-Jefferson got into the game for the second time, he provided a spark with three baskets that helped the Nets push their lead to a high of 83-62 when Napier buried another 3 before the end of the third period.
