Jordan Clarkson had 20 points and 11 rebounds, newcomer Alec Burks threw down a two-handed dunk with 3.2 seconds left in regulation, and the Cleveland Cavaliers avoided a fourth-quarter collapse and edged the Brooklyn Nets 99-97 on Monday night.
Tristan Thompson had 19 points and 14 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who snapped their four-game losing streak.
Cleveland led by 91-80 with 6:03 left in the fourth period after Rodney Hood hit an 18-foot jumper.
The Nets then went on a 17-6 run, tying it 97-all on rookie Rodion Kurucs’ put-back layup with 18.9 seconds left.
Burks drove past Spencer Dinwiddie for the dunk that sealed it for Cleveland, which had been winless since beating Philadelphia and Houston on Nov. 23-24.
Dinwiddie’s potential game-winning 3-pointer fell short of the rim.
D’Angelo Russell scored 28 points for Brooklyn, which has lost seven straight and nine of 11 overall, including their last six at home. Dinwiddie had 18 points off the bench.
TIP-INS
Cavaliers: Burks had 13 points and seven rebounds in 29 minutes off the bench.
Nets: G Joe Harris missed his third straight game with a strained left hip. ... Russell scored 20 points or more for the 11th time this season. That’s the most by a Nets guard in the team’s first 25 games since Deron Williams’ 12 such games in 2011-12.
HOME WOES
The Nets’ last victory at Barclays Center, where they are 3-9, was a 122-97 blowout of Philadelphia on Nov. 4.
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: Host the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night, their first meeting since Game 5 of the NBA Finals when the Warriors clinched their second straight title against a far different Cleveland team led by LeBron James.
Nets: Continue their three-game homestand by hosting Oklahoma City on Wednesday night.
