Top takeaways from Cleveland Cavaliers' win over Brooklyn Nets

Donovan Mitchell, Sam Merrill Show Out

Few things are more certain than an electric night from Donovan Mitchell.

Mitchell, now in his fourth year with the Cavs, poured on 35 points as he looked like a scoring machine with the ball in his hands.

The All-NBA guard hit 75% of his shot attempts in the second half, including all but one in the third quarter. Merrill only took one shot from inside the arc, but still ended the night with 22 points as he continued his run as a long-range specialist. The former Utah State guard has hit 11 of his first 20 shots from the 3-point line in his first two starts this season, which far outpaces his first few outings from just one season before.

While it won't last forever, the magic of the Mitchell/Merrill run from long range has been an early highlight of a Cavs squad that ranks second in the league in three-point percentage on 44 attempts per game after two contests.

Live by the Fourth, Die by the Fourth

The Cavs, who led the league with just under 30 fourth-quarter points per game last season, have been on both ends of frustrating outcomes determined by late-game runs that put their matchups just out of reach this season.

While the New York Knicks held a potential victory at arm's length after an early fourth-quarter run, the Nets let a win slip through their fingers after they nearly closed a near-20-point gap from the start of the final quarter.

Cleveland hit an appalling five of its 19 shots and just one of its 11 3-pointers in the fourth, while the Nets played like a team possessed from the 3-point line up until the final few minutes. Closing games out will mean everything for a Cavs team looking to keep things rolling as they start to get into the swing of things in what could be a defining regular season campaign.

Defense Sees Second-Half Nosedive

Whether they took their foot off the gas or simply ran out of it, the Cavs' near-defeat was made all the worse by what was once a point of pride for the potential Eastern Conference contender.

The Nets hit about 58% of their tries from the floor and 48% of their shots from the 3-point line in the second half. Guard Cam Thomas and forward Michael Porter Jr. led the effort with just over half of their second-half points as they seemed to take it upon themselves to drag the Nets back into fighting contention.

Cleveland ranks 22nd in the league in defensive rating after two games, a far cry from years past even at the beginning of its previous campaign. They'll need to turn things around on defense to have any chance at replicating the magic from last year's regular-season run.