Cleveland, OH
Cavs outlast Nets 105-100, improving their unprecedented start to 11-0
CLEVELAND, Ohio — There were many emotions leading up to Saturday’s contest between the Cavs and Brooklyn Nets, spilling onto the floor in a scrappy, back-and-forth game between two teams reeling in the second game of a back-to-back.
After losing their initial lead and trailing in the fourth, the Cavs stormed back for a gritty 105-100 win, becoming just the 12th team in NBA history to start a season 11-0.
Kenny Atkinson has led the Cavs to their best start in franchise history, but the last two games he wanted a little more than the rest.
On Friday, he faced off against Golden State and Steve Kerr, the team and coach that Atkinson credits heavily for his development to get to where he is. On Saturday, he took on the team that gave him his first shot at being a head coach.
With his new team, Atkinson beat them both.
“Last night I was like, man, I wanted that game because you’ve had such great experience with the team you were with, but you also want to beat ‘em,” Atkinson said ahead of the matchup with Brooklyn. “It’s the same with the Nets. Wonderful experience I had, but there’s always a little something extra when you’ve been with a team before. So a little more awareness, a little more tension. You want it a little more.”
Again, on Saturday, the Cavs got off to a fast start, playing for their coach and to continue their unbeaten streak.
Donovan Mitchell scored 15 of his 22 points in the first quarter and the Cavs shot 75% from the field in the opening frame. Evan Mobley was perfect at halftime with 13 points, shooting 5 of 5 from the field while corralling 10 rebounds and recording his first double-double in a single half since Nov. 28, 2023, in the first half versus the Atlanta Hawks.
But the second period saw the Nets, who entered Saturday with the second slowest pace in the NBA, dictate the speed of the game and claw back from a 15-point deficit, as the Cavs led by just two at halftime.
The Cavs have expressed their desire to come out in the second half with the same energy they start the games with. Especially after Friday’s game where they were lackadaisical with a 41-point halftime lead, the Cavs and Atkinson had the opportunity on Saturday to correct that mistake with it still on their minds.
“I don’t know what our third quarter stats say, [but] I think that’s our next hurdle,” Atkinson said at his pregame press conference Saturday. “Obviously (Friday) night was not a good one. I know this team has struggled in the third quarter. It seems to me the great teams are third quarter teams too, so we got to do a better job coming out of the locker room.”
Even with the extra emphasis, the Cavs saw the Nets go on a 30-5 run and take a double-digit lead in the third quarter after the Cavs scored just 13 points to open the second half.
But when trailing by 12 points entering the final frame, the Cavs roared back behind the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse crowd.
Although they had plenty to be disgruntled with outside of their first quarter performance, the Cavs wouldn’t go away quietly.
The Cavs have proven themselves to be starters and finishers with players who can step up when the game comes down to the wire. In a game that saw both teams take double-digit leads, it came down to the final six minutes.
And the pressure of letting their winning streak slip from their fingers was felt.
“Normally, this is 11 games in, you’re not thinking about a streak,” Atkinson said postgame. “But tonight, you’re like, man, I don’t want it to end this way. … We’re trying to win every game, but it’s kind of weirdly in the back of your mind when you’re out there competing, like, man, we got to keep this thing going.”
Their surge back began when Atkinson called for a small-ball lineup that had never played together before, consisting of Mitchell, Darius Garland, Caris LeVert, Ty Jerome, and Mobley at the five.
Atkinson went to Mobley as the center for the entire fourth quarter as the 7-footer forced more problems both offensively and defensively than Jarrett Allen had to that point. Mobley finished with 23 points, 16 rebounds, four steals and a game-sealing block. He was 10 of 11 from the field.
With that five-man group on the floor, the Cavs were confident that any player could create offense while being stout on defense. And with this lineup playing the majority of the minutes in the final period, Cleveland flipped the script. The Cavs scored 35 points while holding the Nets to 18, finishing on a 26-11 run.
“Defensively, we locked in, got stops, got rebounds, boxed out, didn’t miss opportunities,” Mitchell said. “We did all the little things, and I think that’s what you saw tonight, just the effort as a whole. And that’s what made this one special.”
Jerome, who finished with four points, five assists and two steals, forced a shot clock violation against Dennis Schroder. The stop led to a LeVert layup. On the very next possession, Jerome forced another turnover that led to a LeVert dunk, cutting the Nets lead to two.
Then the Cavs turned to their most reliable star to close the game. Garland finished with 20 points, including eight in the final five minutes, along with six assists.
“He’s got everything,” Atkinson praised. “He’s a complete, complete point guard. But I had heard there were some, maybe last year there was some end of game [issues]. It didn’t always go great. But, from my point of view, just, you know, coaching him for the first time, I’m just blown away [by] his control of end of game situations.”
Garland’s 5-foot floater with 1:24 left gave the Cavs 101 points, a score the Nets would never reach, as Cleveland held Brooklyn scoreless over the last minute of the contest.
“We fought for 48 minutes, literally,” Garland said before Mitchell drenched him with a water bottle. “That was a big (expletive) win. .,. It was a great effort from everybody. We needed everybody tonight.
“We know how hard it is to win in this league. And now, 11 in a row. 11-0. We’re the hunted. We’re not the hunters no more.”
Up Next
The Cavs now take their 11-0 streak on the road to face the Chicago Bulls on Monday with tipoff set at 8 p.m. Eastern.
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The Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Guardians both opened the 2026 MLB season with series wins, showcasing timely hitting, resilience, and standout individual performances to secure victories in their early matchups.
Why it matters
As two of Ohio’s major league baseball franchises, the Reds and Guardians victories to start the season demonstrate the state’s continued passion for the sport and the competitiveness of these regional rivals as they aim to contend for playoff spots in the new year.
The details
The Reds took two of three games from the St. Louis Cardinals, including a dramatic 9th-inning comeback win in the series opener. The Guardians also won their series against the Chicago White Sox, taking two of three games with a walk-off hit in the finale.
- The 2026 MLB season began on March 26, 2026.
- The Reds-Cardinals series took place from March 26-28, 2026.
- The Guardians-White Sox series was played from March 27-29, 2026.
The players
Cincinnati Reds
A professional baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio that competes in the National League of Major League Baseball.
Cleveland Guardians
A professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio that competes in the American League of Major League Baseball.
St. Louis Cardinals
A professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri that competes in the National League of Major League Baseball.
Chicago White Sox
A professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois that competes in the American League of Major League Baseball.
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What’s next
The Reds and Guardians will look to continue their strong starts as they face off against division rivals in the coming weeks, with the Reds hosting the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Guardians traveling to take on the Detroit Tigers.
The takeaway
The early season success of Ohio’s MLB teams demonstrates the state’s enduring passion for baseball and the potential for these regional rivals to contend for playoff spots in 2026, setting up an exciting season ahead for fans in the Buckeye State.
AKRON, Ohio (WOIO) – A mother and her 12-year-old son are dead after a shooting Saturday night near Firestone Stadium in Akron. A suspect is in custody.
Akron police responded to multiple 911 calls around 8:10 p.m. for a shooting near 30 West Wilbeth Road.
Officers found a car partially on fire that had crashed into the tree line on Hemlock Street south of West Wilbeth Road.
Inside the car, officers found 12-year-old Jericho L. Mangual, who had been shot. He was pronounced dead at the scene around 8:34 p.m.
The driver, 47-year-old Tania Mangual, the mother of the 12-year-old, had also been shot. She was taken to Cleveland Clinic Akron General Medical Center, where she died around 8:50 p.m.
A 2-year-old boy, also her son, was inside the car and was not injured. He was taken to Akron Children’s Hospital as a precaution.
Witness describes fiery crash
Jackie Travis, who lives across the street, watched police respond to the crash.
“It was on fire underneath and the engine was on fire,” Travis said.
Charred ground and branches mark where the car came to rest.
Suspect identified, turned himself in
Dispatchers received multiple 911 calls, including one from a 49-year-old woman who fled the scene after being shot. She provided detectives with information that helped identify the suspect as 28-year-old Brandon T. Casto.
Akron Police detectives executed a search warrant at an apartment connected to the suspect and found multiple firearms, firearm accessories and a large collection of ammunition.
Investigators learned that Casto told friends he was fleeing Akron. He turned himself in more than 100 miles away in Meigs County. He is currently being held at the Southeast Regional Jail in Nelsonville, facing two counts of aggravated murder and two counts of felonious assault.
Police have not released a motive or Casto’s connection to the family.
A growing memorial now marks the spot where the car crashed. People who say they know the family left candles and a white teddy bear.
Akron Police Major Crimes Unit detectives are still examining the circumstances surrounding this incident, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Akron Police Department Detective Bureau at 330-375-2490 or 330-375-2Tip.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – The 60th Annual Car Parts Warehouse I-X Piston Powered Auto-Rama wraps up this weekend, marking the last show at the longtime International Exposition (I-X) Center.
Organizers say 900 cars are parked for the event, featuring flashy cars and rebuilt classics.
Cleveland City Council approved plans last year to repurpose the event space for an unnamed private company. What replaces it, nobody is saying.
“Never miss, never miss,” said Jack Marino, who has attended many shows at the I-X Center. “It’s sad because it’s sort of a tradition to this area.”
Marino said he is worried about what Cleveland could lose when the building closes.
Show features diverse collection
“Anything that has a piston that makes it go is in the show. We even have a tank here that was built in 1964 when we were the Cleveland tank plant,” said Scott McGorty with the I-X Center.
George Conrad owns 221 cars and brought a few to the show, including a purple classic.
“Knowing this is possibly the last show, hopefully not. I wanted to bring an eclectic mix of really different things,” said Conrad.
Conrad said someone else started the build on the purple car and never finished it.
“Kind of a step child project to me. An older gentleman had purchased it and started the build and unfortunately he passed away,” said Conrad. “We took the project on, completely disassembled it and kind of restarted the whole thing. Three years, we don’t want to talk about the money.”
Conrad finished it just in time. There will not be another show according to the organizers of the autorama.
No replacement venue in sight
The I-X Center has hosted events for decades, including the garden show, the auto show, the boat show and the RV show. The city and the building’s owner have not released details on what comes next. Only that the expo space will close.
Organizers say no other building in Northeast Ohio is big enough to host the autorama.
“This show has always been about people as much as it is about cars,” said Steve Legerski, show manager for the I-X Piston Powered Auto-Rama. “For 60 years, families have grown up coming to this event together. Builders have debuted lifelong projects here.”
The event features hundreds of vehicles, specialty exhibits, competitions and a marketplace.
The final consumer show inside the Cleveland I-X Center begins Friday and runs through Sunday, March 29. The show is the 60th Annual Car Parts Warehouse I-X Piston Powered Auto-Rama.
Tickets are available at www.pistonpowershow.com and at all 23 Car Parts Warehouse retail locations.
The I-X Center was built in 1942 as the Cleveland Bomber Plant and was a manufacturing site for the B-29 bomber during World War II.
Later, it was known as the Cleveland Tank Plant and tanks and other military vehicles were built there.
Once the war ended, the center had several different uses before becoming the I-X Center in 1985.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
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