The Cleveland Cavaliers made a huge defensive stop on James Harden, Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets to seal a 114-107 win on Monday.
Cleveland was able to trap Harden and force him to pick up his dribble, and the Nets guard threw the ball away when trying to find Irving. That led to an easy dunk for Isaac Okoro to put the Cavs ahead 112-107 with just 15.8 seconds remaining in the game.
DEFENSE! DEFENSE! DEFENSE!#LETEMKNOW pic.twitter.com/gRQzD9Dk9G
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) January 17, 2022
The Nets are without Kevin Durant due to a knee injury, but the Cavaliers still pulled off a major win at home against Harden and Irving.
Irving, who began his NBA career in Cleveland, had 27 points, seven rebounds and nine assists in the loss for the Nets.
The Cavs have been one of the league’s best defensive teams all season, and it has helped them improve to 27-18 on the season.
Cleveland had six different players finish in double figures scoring the ball, as Darius Garland led the way for the Cavs with a team-high 22 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the field.
Okoro, who made the game-sealing dunk, finished with 15 points on an efficient 5-of-7 shooting from the field and added two steals.
The Cavs are looking to make a move in the Eastern Conference standings, especially with a team like Brooklyn dealing with a major injury.
This win is not only a huge confidence builder for the Cavs, but it shows that they have the defenders to lock down some of the NBA’s best players when the game is on the line.
Cleveland will look to keep rolling when it faces the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday.
