Collin Sexton drops 42 in return, leads Cavs to improbable win

In a game nobody thought the Cleveland Cavaliers would win on Wednesday, Collin Sexton happened.

The new “Big Three” of the NBA in Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden on the Brooklyn Nets came to town Wednesday night to take on a Cavs team that has put up a solid effort in most outings so far this season, but has been riddled by injuries all season long.

Sexton, who had missed the last five games due to a left ankle sprain (in what were the first of his career), was back in the lineup for the Cavs. To say the least, he was a big reason why they pulled out the upset.

The entire first half, the Cavaliers were hanging with the Nets, and were even leading at times. The Cavs held Harden to just two first half points on limited shots.

Seeing Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince play solid in their debuts was very refreshing, as they not only add production but much needed capable depth on the roster. Allen finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks, while Prince added 17 points as well, and as we would’ve hoped, looked to be a legitimate floor spacer.

In the second half, the Cavs came out extremely well and were ahead by double digits a handful of times in the half. As the game got closer and closer to the end, it just became tighter and tighter. Harden heated up in the second half, helping the Nets tie the game late in the fourth quarter.

To end regulation, Irving drove to the basket on Sexton on what was originally called an offensive foul. That call was then overturned, leading to a jump ball at half court, ultimately taking away the Cavs’ opportunity for a game winner, forcing the game into overtime.

OT was all about Sexton, though, and his scoring efforts led to a huge Cavs W.

No matter the lead, Sexton made sure the game was not over. After a back-and-forth first overtime, the Cavs found themselves down three with a few seconds left. Enter Sexton, who tied it with 1.2 ticks left.

Once the second overtime began, Sexton really took over. Hitting three after three, Sexton nailed 20 straight points in totality dating back to nearing the end of the first OT for the Cavs, including 15 straight in the second overtime.

According to Elias Sports Bureau, only D’Angelo Russell, who had 24 points over three overtimes in a win ironically over the Cavs in 2019 for the Nets, had more points after the fourth quarter in an NBA game than Sexton, who had 22 on Wednesday.

For the Cavs and Sexton, what a game it was, and what a welcomed return for a career-high 42 points, thanks in large part due to that overtime surge. Forget getting the win for a second.

Proving that you can compete with the best, talent-wise, on a night when they were essentially fully healthy and you weren’t is a huge step in the right direction.

Cavs general manager Koby Altman is in control of this rebuild, and is doing nothing but leading this franchise in the right direction.