Nets’ fourth-quarter surge falls short, drop home opener to Cavaliers

The Brooklyn Nets fell 131-124 to Cleveland despite a late fourth-quarter surge on Friday night in what was their home opener of the 2025-26 season at Barclays Center.

Cam Thomas led the Nets (0-2) with 33 points and nine assists, just one shy of tying his career high. Michael Porter Jr. settled in quickly, pouring in 31 points on 5-of-10 shooting from three. Ziaire Williams caught fire from beyond the arc, hitting six threes on his way to 25 points.

Brooklyn’s defense is raising red flags just two games into the season. It has given up 130-plus points in consecutive games while allowing both teams to shoot over 50%.

The Cavaliers jumped out early and controlled the pace from the tip, riding the frontcourt duo of Evan Mobley and former Net Jarrett Allen to a double-digit lead by the end of the opening quarter. Mobley opened the scoring with back-to-back floaters inside, taking advantage of a small-ball Brooklyn starting five. Cleveland’s spacing came alive soon after. Sam Merrill hit a pair of threes, and Donovan Mitchell connected on an alley-oop to Jaylon Tyson, pushing the Cavs to a 16–7 lead midway through the quarter.

Brooklyn’s offense struggled early with nine turnovers that led to 11 Cleveland points and several missed looks, falling behind 34-23 after the first quarter.

Porter Jr. led the charge offensively, scoring efficiently from mid-range and finishing around the rim, while Williams was 3-of-3 from deep. The Nets trimmed the deficit to single digits early in the quarter, but repeated turnovers and Cleveland’s relentless work on the glass kept Brooklyn from gaining real momentum.

The Brooklyn Nets lost their season home opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers 136-117. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann

Thomas provided a needed scoring punch, hitting a step-back three and drawing multiple trips to the line to help keep the offense afloat. Despite the improved energy, Brooklyn’s inability to contain Cleveland’s three-point barrage ultimately told the story. The Cavs outscored the Nets 18-8 in the paint during the frame and carried a 63-51 lead into halftime.

The second half started eerily similar to the first, as three straight Cleveland threes extended the lead to 21 and then 25, the Cavaliers’ largest of the night. After a brief back-and-forth stretch, Brooklyn started to find its footing, with Nic Claxton and Thomas finding their rhythm and trimming the deficit to 14 midway through the third quarter. But Cleveland’s offense was shooting with video game–like efficiency, barely missing a look and knocking down eight threes in the quarter. Thomas poured in 13 points in the quarter, yet the Nets still found themselves trailing 108–86 heading into the fourth.

The Nets came storming back in the fourth, outscoring the Cavaliers 34–15 and cutting the lead to just three with 3:06 remaining. The Barclays Center was rocking, filled with “Brooklyn” chants as the crowd watched their No. 8 overall pick catch fire down the stretch, knocking down multiple threes to bring the Nets right back into it. Unfortunately, it was too little too late as they just couldn’t get over the hump, as Cleveland’s size was too much to handle.

The biggest takeaway? This Nets team refuses to quit, even in the face of early-season struggles.