Nets 104, Cavaliers 95
NEW YORK -- Brook Lopez scored 22 points, and the Brooklyn Nets withstood a big performance by LeBron James during a 104-95 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night.
Shane Larkin added 16 points for the Nets, who held the Cavaliers to 12 points in the fourth quarter. Bojan Bogdanovic contributed 12 points, while reserves Sean Kilpatrick and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson added 10 apiece as the Nets won for the third time in their past 11 games.
James made his first 10 shots and finished with 30 points. He missed two shots upon returning in the fourth quarter and finished 13-for-16 from the field while adding six rebounds and five assists.
James had little help from his teammates. Kyrie Irving shot 6-for-22 and scored 13 points, while Kevin Love had 11 points on 5-of-14 shooting. The Cavaliers shot 4-for-21 while getting outscored 24-12 in the fourth.
The Nets (20-51) took a 10-point lead into halftime and led by as much as 13 in the first half. By the end of the third, Cleveland held a 83-80 lead and appeared it would control the final 12 minutes.
Instead, the Cavaliers (51-21) went cold down the stretch. They held a 92-90 lead on a 3-pointer by Matthew Dellavedova with 6:11 remaining, and James re-entered the game 30 seconds later.
James' return didn't help. The star forward missed his next two shots, and the Cavaliers missed eight consecutive shots before a late 3-pointer by Jordan McRae with 9.8 seconds remaining.
While Cleveland went ice cold, the Nets capitalized. Brooklyn scored 11 points in a row after Dellavedova's 3-pointer and sealed the win on a 10-footer by Lopez with 2:02 left.
NOTES: Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue was asked about his meeting with F LeBron James after Saturday's 21-point loss in Miami but declined to offer specifics. ... Cavaliers G Mo Williams (left knee) missed his 16th straight game, but Lue said it is possible that Williams could return Saturday in New York. ... The Nets unveiled the logos and uniforms for their NBA Development League affiliate, the Long Island Nets. During the press conference, GM Sean Marks said he had a list of names for the coaching and GM positions for the team, which will play in Barclays Center next season before moving to renovated Nassau Coliseum. ... Nets interim coach Tony Brown said shutting down F Thaddeus Young and C Brook Lopez for the rest of the season has been discussed, but the team hasn't reached that point yet. ... Nets C Willie Reed was inactive, but Brown said it had nothing to do with Reed's since-deleted post on social media about a lack of playing time.