Brooklyn Nets: 3 takeaways from 3OT victory at Cleveland

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D’Angelo Russell had 14 of his team-high 36 points in the 3rd OT as the Brooklyn Nets pulled away for a 148-139 win Wednesday over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

If this were a baseball game, DeMarre Carroll would be credited with a save. But it was D’Angelo Russell who got the win for the Brooklyn Nets at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, scoring 14 points in the third overtime to lift the Nets to a 148-139 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

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Carroll hit a step-back 3 as time expired in the second overtime period to keep the Nets (30-29) alive and Russell took over from there, scoring Brooklyn’s first 11 points in the final overtime session to finally put away the stubborn Cavaliers (12-46).

The win sends the Nets into the All-Star break with a winning record for just the second time in their seven seasons in Brooklyn and the first since the inaugural campaign in the borough in 2012-13.

But, wow, did the Cavaliers make the Nets dig for this one. Cleveland led by as much as 12 points in the first half and Brooklyn, after leading 30-29 at the end of the first quarter, would not take a lead again until Russell’s 3-pointer with 23.4 seconds left in the third period put the Nets up 84-83.

Cleveland tied the game at the end of the quarter and the fourth quarter featured the teams bouncing back and forth in the lead, with seven lead changes and eight ties in the final 12 minutes of regulation.

Brooklyn’s last lead in regulation came on consecutive baskets by Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, the second with 6:06 remaining on a putback to give the Nets a 98-95 edge. The Cavs then ran off eight straight points to take a five-point edge, 103-98, with 4:34 left.

The Nets tied the game four times in the final 2:56 of the fourth quarter, but neither team scored after Russell’s driving score made it 109-109 with 1:01 to go.

Brooklyn had the final possession of regulation, but Caris LeVert missed a pull-up 3 and Carroll, after getting the rebound, missed a floater as time expired.

The first overtime took awhile to get percolating, as the teams combined for six missed shots and three turnovers before Jordan Clarkson canned a 3-pointer with 2:42 left in the session.

Russell later game the Nets a 118-116 lead with 16 seconds to go, but rookie Collin Sexton got an offensive rebound and scored with 2.8 seconds left to tie it once more. Jarrett Allen had to try a catch-and-shoot fadeaway with the clock winding down and was off the mark.

In overtime No. 2, Clarkson gave Cleveland the lead with a pull-up jumper from the left elbow with 39.5 seconds left and then made two free throws with 3.8 seconds remaining to make it a three-point game before Carroll tied it at the buzzer.

Brooklyn shot 46 percent (52-for-113) on the night, making 18-of-45 from 3-point range (40 percent), and out-rebounding the Cavaliers 60-57 in a game that featured 23 lead changes and 16 ties.

Cleveland, however, had a 26-21 edge in second-chance points and scored 26 points off the Nets’ 18 turnovers — 12 of which came in the first half. Brooklyn had 22 points off 15 Cavalier miscues and outscored the Cavs on the fast break 15-6.

Russell shook off a terrible shooting start, scoring 28 points in the fourth quarter and overtime periods after starting the game just 1-for-11 from the floor. His 36 points gave the first-time All-Star 10 30-point games this season after he had just seven in his first three seasons combined.

He also had eight assists, but committed seven turnovers. Joe Harris added 25 points for the Nets, the first time in his career he has had consecutive games with at least 20 points. He scored 24 in Monday’s loss on the road to the Toronto Raptors.

Harris is 11-for-13 from 3-point range in his last two games and is third in the NBA in 3-point shooting at the break at 47.1 percent, well ahead of the franchise record of 44.9 percent set by Hall of Famer Drazen Petrovic in 1992-93.

Jarrett Allen recorded his team-high 18th double-double of the season, finishing with 10 points and 12 rebounds while setting a new career-high with six blocked shots.

Caris LeVert, making his first start since Nov. 12 in his third game back from a 42-game injury absence, finished with 12 points and nine assists, while Shabazz Napier went for 10 points and seven dimes. Ed Davis matched a season-high with three blocks for the Nets.

Clarkson led Cleveland with a career-high 42 points, while Sexton added 24 and Marquese Chriss dropped a season-high 23. Larry Nance Jr. grabbed 14 rebounds and Matthew Dellavedova matched a career-best with 13 assists.

The Nets will be off until Feb. 21, when they return from the break to host the Portland Trail Blazers, who were 33-23 entering play Wednesday at home against the Golden State Warriors.

However, Jarrett Allen and Rodions Kurucs will play in the Rising Stars Challenge at All-Star Weekend Friday night, Harris will participate in the Three-Point Contest Saturday night and Russell will make his first All-Star Game appearance on Sunday.

Here are three takeaways from the Nets’ victory at Cleveland.