NEW YORK — Donovan Mitchell glanced hopefully up at the overhead videoboard, realizing his sensational slam dunk deserved a second look.
He wasn’t going to get it in Brooklyn.
“I was trying to see it but I forgot we’re on the road,” Mitchell said, “so they’re definitely not going to show it.”
No problem. It’s all over the internet.
Mitchell also had five 3-pointers and scored 31 points, and the Cleveland Cavaliers opened a big lead in the third quarter and held on for a 115-109 victory over Nets on Tuesday night.
Caris LeVert added 18 points for the Cavaliers in the opener of a two-game series. Cleveland led by only six after a competitive first half, but quickly blew it open in the third en route to its seventh win in nine games.
The Cavs opened a 24-point lead and Mitchell’s slam over Yuta Watanabe came with the Nets desperately hoping to get back into it early in the fourth.
Mitchell eventually saw a replay when he got back to the locker room, but the 2018 All-Star Slam Dunk champion wasn’t certain if he agreed with his teammates who felt it was his best ever.
“It’s up there,” Mitchell said. “I don’t know if it’s my best one, but it’s definitely up there.”
Darius Garland and Evan Mobley each added 17 points, and Jarrett Allen returned from a four-game absence with a right eye injury with 12 points and 14 rebounds.
Day’Ron Sharpe had 20 points and 11 rebounds off the bench for the Nets, who lost their fourth straight game. Spencer Dinwiddie had 19 points and 11 assists, and Mikal Bridges scored 18 points. The teams play again Thursday night to complete what could be a postseason preview. The Cavaliers are solidly in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, nearing their first playoff berth since 2018 in LeBron James’ final season in Cleveland, and their first without him on the roster since 1998.
