The Brooklyn Nets defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers, 125-117, at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Tuesday night.

The Nets (22-12) and the Cavaliers (22-13) were set to square in a battle of contenders, but once it was all said and done, the Nets took advantage of their strong start to get the victory. It was also a game that saw history in the making as Kevin Durant cracked the top 15 in the all-time NBA scoring list, surpassing Tim Duncan and coming up quite close to reaching Dominique Wilkins. The Nets looked quite better in the opening 12 minutes and secured a 34-22 lead, and they would bolster their advantage following a 31-27 score in the second quarter. Leading by 16 points at the break, Brooklyn looked quite comfortable in the second half, but the Cavaliers responded with a 30-26 score in the third quarter, showing that they still had signs of life. The Cavaliers also won the fourth quarter by a 38-30 fourth score, but it was not enough to mount a potential comeback in the dying minutes, and the Nets came away with the victory. With the win, the Nets improved to 10-7 on the road, while the Cavaliers fell to 16-4 at home.

Kevin Durant led the way for the Nets with 32 points, but he also added nine rebounds and five assists, while Kyrie Irving also had 32 points and contributed with five assists and four rebounds. Ben Simmons only had four points, but he chipped in with nine rebounds, eight assists and three steals. Nic Claxton and Royce O'Neale had matching 10-point tallies, with Claxton also having four rebounds and two blocks, and O'Neale finishing with three rebounds and four assists. TJ Warren had 23 points across 27 minutes off the bench, and he also added eight rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Darius Garland was outstanding for the Cavaliers, as he finished with 46 points and eight assists, while Donovan Mitchell ended with 15 points and five assists while shooting 5-for-16 from the field. Jarrett Allen had a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double, and Evan Mobley had 12 points, six rebounds and two assists. Cedi Osman ended with 11 points and two assists off the bench, and Kevin Love had seven points with eight rebounds across 13 minutes.