For a few stretches Friday, the Cleveland Cavaliers offered a reminder of just how dangerous they can be.
They outscored the Nets in the first quarter, 34-23, and opened the second half on a 20-7 run in which they went 5-of-5 on 3-pointers.
But Friday night’s 131-124 victory at Barclays Center also demonstrated that the Cavs — the Knicks’ biggest competition in the wide-open Eastern Conference — remain a work in progress.
Cleveland led, 110-88, early in the fourth quarter, only for the rebuilding Nets to unleash a furious 32-11 run that made it a one-point game with less than four minutes to go.
And while the Cavs (1-1) managed to close out the victory, it was an uneven performance from a Cleveland team in search of a bounce back after Wednesday night’s season-opening 119-111 loss to the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks, meanwhile, improved to 2-0 with a 105-95 win over the Boston Celtics at the Garden.
There were positive takeaways for Cleveland, which shot 53.7% from the field, forced 20 turnovers and got 31 points from its new-look bench.
Donovan Mitchell led the Cavs with 35 points on 10-of-15 shooting, while Jarrett Allen and Sam Merrill scored 22 points apiece.
But the Cavaliers led by as many as 25 points on Friday, and the Nets (0-2) outscored them, 38-23, in the fourth quarter.
After starting the game 17-of-31 on 3-pointers, the Cavs made just one of their final 11 attempts from deep.
Cleveland, which went 64-18 last season as the East’s No. 1 seed, brought back most of last season’s core, though three key players — Darius Garland, Max Strus and De’Andre Hunter — are yet to play due to injuries.
Their absences have complicated the growth of a roster that added play-making point guard Lonzo Ball to run its second unit and a veteran big man in Larry Nance Jr. to provide productive depth behind Evan Mobley and Allen.
Ball, who excels at managing tempo, committed four turnovers in 23 minutes against the Knicks. He was better Friday, dishing out eight assists against two turnovers in 23 minutes.
“Sometimes you’re forced to discover things when you have guys out,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said before Friday’s game.
“Now, we want to discover things and still win. This isn’t some experiment. We’re gonna find out a lot about our young guys. We’re gonna find out a lot about ‘Zo and how to use him best. Larry’s in that same [situation].”
At full strength, the Cavaliers could have a deep bench that consists of Hunter, Merrill, Ball, Nance, Dean Wade and Jaylon Tyson, who has started the first two games.
But the Knicks retooled, too, after advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals, by adding Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele to come off a bench behind one of the NBA’s top starting units.
