CLEVELAND — Darius Garland strengthened his All-Star case with 22 points and 12 assists, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 1114-107 win Monday over the Brooklyn Nets, who began a stretch without injured superstar Kevin Durant.
Isaac Okoro added 15 points and Jarrett Allen had 14 and 10 rebounds for the Cavs, who won their fifth straight.
Kyrie Irving scored 27 points in his fourth game of the season and James Harden added 22 for Brooklyn, which was playing its first game since Durant, the NBA’s leading scorer, sprained his left knee. He’s expected to be out several weeks.
The Nets missed five straight shots down the stretch but were still within 110-107 when a costly turnover by Harden led to a breakaway dunk for Okoro.
Harden attempted a pass back to Irving, who slipped near mid-court and laid helplessly on the floor as Okoro streaked by and scored.
Irving missed a 3-pointer that went halfway down and came out before Cleveland’s Kevin Love made three free throws to close out one of the Cavs’ biggest wins this season.
Durant, averaging 29.3 points per game, sprained his left medial collateral ligament (MCL) on Saturday in a win over New Orleans. The Nets don’t have a definitive timeframe for his return, but it’s safe to assume they’ll be without one of the game’s best players for several weeks.
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