The Cavaliers' rookies Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson combined to score 53 points in Cleveland's 105-100 victory on the road against the New Jersey Nets on Monday night.
Thompson scored 18 of his 27 in the first half and shot 12-for-16 in just his second career NBA start. Unlike Thompson who was solid all game long, Irving struggled in the first half and used a strong 5-for-10 second half to finish with 26 points.
Cleveland led by 13 points after the first quarter, but found themselves only up a basket going into the fourth quarter. In the fourth, the Nets completed the comeback and even took a six-point lead with 8:22 remaining. Cleveland got five straight points from Donald Sloan, who finished with 11 off the bench, and then it was Irving and Thompson the rest of the way to end Cleveland's three-game losing streak.
Cleveland is back at it on Wednesday against Atlanta in the first of two straight on the road. Atlanta will be coming off a 79-76 loss to the Boston Celtics.
For more on the Cleveland Cavaliers, check out Fear The Sword. For more on the New Jersey Nets, head over to NetsDaily. All of your news and analysis needs on the NBA can be found at SB Nation's NBA hub.