After winning 16 in a row, Long Island Nets lose third straight, 122-115, to Cleveland Charge

Mar 18, 2023 - 2:36 PM

A 40-15 fourth quarter run by the Cleveland Charge turned the tables on the Long Island Nets Friday night in Cleveland. After winning 16 straight, the G League’s longest winning streak in a decade, the pride of Nassau Coliseum has lost three straight. Moreover, the win reduced the Nets lead over the Delaware Blue Coats in the G League’s Eastern Conference to two-and-a-half games with three games to go and another game between Long Island and Cleveland in Ohio Saturday night.

The Charge (15-14) came back from down 24 in the second half to defeat the Nets (22-6), 122-115, in front of 3,548 at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland on Friday night. Cleveland outscored Long Island 69-46 in the second half and 40-15 in the fourth quarter for the come-from-behind victory.

The Nets were paced by RaiQuan Gray’s 22 points on 10-of-13 shooting with nine rebounds and three steals in 34 minutes. Kaiser Gates hit 5-of-8 3-pointers in tallying 21 points with six boards in 20 minutes off the bench. Alondes Williams scored 19 points in 29 minutes for Long Island and two-way Dru Smith had 15 points and seven boards. The Nets other two-way — and Long Island’s leading scorer — had a rough night: David Duke Jr. finished with 11 points on 3-of-12 shooting.

The Charge’s Isaiah Mobley posted his 10th double-double of the season, scoring 26 points and grabbing 15 rebounds with three steals in 35 minutes. Blake Francis came off the bench to score 26 points in 20 minutes, all in the second half. On assignment from the Cavs, Sam Merrill scored 20 points and grabbed five rebounds with a pair of steals in 39 minutes.

After Saturday night’s game, which starts at 7:00 p.m. ET and will be streamed by the G League, Long Island faces the Lakeland Magic in Florida next Tuesday and Thursday to close out the regular season. G League playoffs open on March 28.

• Game Report: Cleveland Charge 122, Long Island Nets 115 - G League
• Game Highlights: Cleveland Charge 122, Long Island Nets 115 (Video) - G League