PREVIEW: The Cleveland Cavaliers will invade the Barclays Center to battle the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night , featuring two teams searching for their first wins after opening-night defeats. The Cavaliers led the NBA in offensive efficiency last season but trailed by as many as 17 points during a 119-111 road loss against New York on Wednesday , with All-Star Donovan Mitchell tallying a game-high 31 points in the effort. The Nets want to play an uptempo style but must improve an offense that ranked near the bottom of the league in efficiency, having surrendered 77 points during the first half of a 136-117 road loss against Charlotte . Despite no ShotQuality data available for either team , the underlying offensive trends tell a compelling story heading into this matchup. Cleveland sits at 119.4 points per game, fourth-best in the NBA, while Brooklyn languishes at 107.0 points, last in the league, representing a 12.4-point gap that underscores the competitive disparity. Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 31 points and five assists while Darius Garland recovers from toe surgery and will be out for Friday's game , forcing Mitchell to carry additional offensive load. Nic Claxton led six Brooklyn players in double figures with 17 points in 23 minutes of action, while Cam Thomas converted 11 of 13 free-throw attempts and finished with 15 points . Both squads will look to establish rhythm and consistency as they attempt to turn their respective opening losses into early momentum, with depth, health, and execution likely determining the outcome in this Eastern Conference showdown.