February 19, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Dennis Schroder (8) drives toward the basket against Brooklyn Nets guard Drake Powell (4) in the second half at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images Due to injuries, James Harden and Donovan Mitchell were onlookers from the bench during the Cleveland Cavaliers’ late collapse against the best team in the Eastern Conference on Friday night.
In less than 48 hours, the Cavaliers could be missing their star backcourt duo again when they visit one of the league’s worst teams Sunday afternoon.
The Cavaliers are one game over .500 after losing 117-100 at Houston on Dec. 27. Since then, they have gone 20-8 in their last 28 games, but have slumped for the first time in two months with three losses in four games.
Cleveland, which lost by a combined 10 points to the Oklahoma City Thunder last Sunday and the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, lost a nine-point lead in the final 2:44 of regulation and suffered a 122-119 overtime loss to the Detroit Pistons on Friday.
“There are no moral victories,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said. “This is a big game. We had our chances. We just kicked ourselves.”
Harden sat out the second game with a fractured thumb, and Mitchell was sidelined for the second straight day with a groin injury. While Mitchell went about his routine, Harden was still feeling discomfort from Friday’s shootout and was wearing a protective pad on his thumb.
The Cavaliers have won six of seven with Harden in the lineup, and the guard is hoping to play through the injury if possible, but could sit out again on Sunday ahead of Tuesday’s rematch with the Pistons.
Sam Merrill and Dennis Schroder comprised Cleveland’s starting backcourt on Friday, with mixed results. Merrill had 20 points on 6-of-14 shooting, while Schroder had 12 points on 4-of-15 shooting and nine assists.
Without Mitchell and Harden again, Cleveland will likely rely on the frontcourt duo of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. The two combined for 48 points, 21 rebounds and 5 blocks Friday.
“I think we fought with the guys we had,” Allen said. “I think the mistakes haven’t gotten us where we want to be. If we bring in the best players, the guys, things will be different.”
In addition to Mitchell and Harden, the Cavaliers are also missing Dean Wade and Keon Ellis. Wade sat out with a broken ankle and was replaced in the starting lineup by Jaylon Tyson, while Ellis sat out with a fractured index finger.
Cleveland won 131-124 in Brooklyn on Oct. 24 and won 112-84 on Feb. 19. The Cavaliers are 11-1 in their last 12 meetings with the Nets, who lost their seventh straight game on Friday, their worst performance of the season, in a 148-111 loss to the host Boston Celtics.
It was Brooklyn’s fifth double-digit loss on this skid and the Nets allowed 66.7 percent shooting. The Nets have allowed the most points since a 153-121 loss at Sacramento on Nov. 15, 2022, and the fourth-highest field goal percentage allowed in franchise history.
The Nets allowed the Celtics to hit 22 of 34 3-pointers on the night after allowing the San Antonio Spurs to make 17 of 43 attempts from behind the arc in a 126-110 loss. The Nets gave up 82 points after falling behind by nine points at halftime, giving up 10 of their 3s in the second half.
“When you lose by almost 40 points, you completely quit,” coach Jordi Fernandez said after the Nets suffered their fifth loss by at least 30 points this season and tied their worst of the season by allowing 22 3-pointers.
–Field level media
