On Saturday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers extended their perfect start to the 2024-25 season with an impressive 105-100 comeback win over the Brooklyn Nets, marking their 11th straight victory.
A key factor in keeping the winning streak alive was the outstanding performance of Evan Mobley. The 23-year-old forward led the Cavaliers with 23 points, shooting a remarkable 10-for-11 (90.9%) from the field. He also posted a season-high 16 rebounds and matched his season-best with four steals.
Mobley heroics
Mobley’s performance was not just a standout for the game, but also historically significant. According to Cavs Notes on X (via Elias Sports), Mobley became the first NBA player since steals were officially recorded in the 1973-74 season to achieve such a stat line.
So far this season, Mobley is averaging 18.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.8 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game, all in just under 30 minutes of action. Additionally, he is on pace for a career-best performance from beyond the arc, shooting 35.0% (7-for-20) from three-point range. For comparison, Mobley set a career-high with 23 three-pointers in his rookie season (2021-22) and attempted a personal best of 102 threes the following year.
What's ahead
The Cavaliers will aim to secure their 12th consecutive win on Monday, November 11, when they travel to face the Chicago Bulls.
Mobley’s dominant performance also placed him in rare company: he became just the second NBA player in history to record at least 20 points, 15 rebounds, and four steals while maintaining a field goal percentage of 90% or better. The other player to achieve this feat was Ervin Johnson, who did so for the Milwaukee Bucks during the 1997-98 season.
Undefeated Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers improved to 10-0 with a dominant 136-117 victory over the Golden State Warriors at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Friday. Despite entering the game with a strong 7-1 record, Golden State was quickly overwhelmed by Cleveland. The Cavs raced out to a 20-2 lead, leaving the Warriors in a deep hole from the start and finishing the opening quarter ahead 39-22.
Cleveland remains the NBA’s only undefeated team, following the Oklahoma City Thunder's first loss of the season to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday, 124-122.
Interestingly, the last team to start 10-0 in the past two decades was the Warriors themselves, who accomplished the feat during the 2015-16 season. That team set an NBA record with a 24-0 start before finishing with an unprecedented 73-9 regular season record—only to lose to the Cavaliers in a seven-game Finals series.
Cleveland is now the fourth team in NBA history to begin a season 10-0, joining the 2000-01 Philadelphia 76ers, the 2002-03 Dallas Mavericks, and the 2015-16 Warriors. In fact, Cleveland's 8-0 start earlier this season already set a franchise record for the best start to a campaign. Additionally, Kenny Atkinson became the first head coach to begin his tenure with a new team 9-0. The Cavs will try to push their record to 11-0 when they face the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday.
