Top three impact players from Cleveland Cavaliers first win of the season

After a tough loss in New York on Wednesday night, Cleveland was looking to rebound quickly on Friday when they faced off against the Brooklyn Nets. 

Brooklyn gave Cleveland all that they could handle, as they poured in over 70 points in the second half to break down the Cavs' lead to just one point with just under four minutes left in the game. 

Here were the three Cavaliers that made the biggest impact on Friday night.

1. Jarrett Allen

In the season opener, there were many discussions surrounding Allen’s performance against the Knicks and how he would bounce back. Well, Allen bounced back in a massive way. Ending the game with 22 points, shooting 8-11 from the floor, and showing some pristine effort.

It wasn’t just the scoring for Allen, though. With just over three minutes left in the game, Allen made a great play on the ball to get a steal from Nick Claxton to get the ball back for the Cavs. Allen also showed significant hustle with 1:50 left in the fourth quarter by tracking down an offensive rebound and drawing a foul. Allen would drain the two following free throws to put the Cavs up by six. 

An excellent bounce-back performance from Allen against his former team.

2. Donovan Mitchell

This one was obvious, right? Mitchell finished with 35 points in this game with six three-pointers, five assists, and three steals. 

Mitchell came up again and again, also hitting six clutch free throws in the fourth quarter. Mitchell ended the game 9-12 from the free-throw line and 10-15 from the floor. When Mitchell was on the floor, the Cavs were +22. 

3. Sam Merrill

What else can you say about Sam Merrill to start the season? Merrill’s 11 three-pointers made are the most in Cavs franchise history in the first two games of a season. Tonight Merrill shot 6-10 from behind the arc with his quick, repeatable, smooth shooting stroke. With under 10 seconds left, Merrill stepped up and knocked down four free throws to put Brooklyn to bed. 

Merrill signed a new, 4-year $38 million contract with Cleveland before the start of this season and is proving to be worth every penny. With the injuries Cleveland is up against to start the year, Merrill’s consistency is super important. 

One more ultra-efficient player for Cleveland was Craig Porter Jr., who went 6-7 from the floor, including two three-pointers. 

All of these guys were the reason Cleveland squeaked away with a win on Friday night vs the Nets.