Harden scores 22 points with broken thumb, leads Cavaliers over the Nets 106-102

NEW YORK (AP) — James Harden scored 22 points in his return to the lineup with a broken thumb and the Cleveland Cavaliers snapped a two-game skid with a 106-102 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday.

Harden missed two games after fracturing his thumb earlier in the week. He bounced back and shot 5 for 9 from the field, 4 for 7 from 3-point distance and 8 for 12 from the line, with nine rebounds and eight assists. He was injured Tuesday night in a 109-94 home victory over New York. X-rays Wednesday showed a non-displaced fracture of the distal phalanx. The 17-year veteran was traded by the Los Angeles Clippers to Cleveland on Feb. 4.

Jarrett Allen scored 20 points and Evan Mobley added 16 points and 13 rebounds as the Cavaliers improved to 12-1 in their last 13 games against the Nets. Sam Merrill finished with 15 points and Dennis Schroder had 10.

Michael Porter Jr. scored 26 points on 10-for-17 shooting, and Danny Wolf added 23 points and nine rebounds for Brooklyn, which lost its eighth straight game and for the 11th time in 13 games. Nolan Traore contributed 17 points and Grant Nelson 11 as the Nets slipped to 15-45 overall.

The Nets led 56-42 at halftime, helped by 50% (21 for 42) shooting from the field.

The Cavaliers rallied in the second half and led by eight points with just over three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter before Brooklyn rallied.

Brooklyn closed within three points (102-99) on a basket by Traore with 28.6 seconds left and within a point (102-101) following two free throws by Wolf with 9.2 seconds showing. Schroder made a pair of free throws and Wolf hit 1 of 2, giving the Cavs a two-point lead with 5.9 seconds left. Schroder and Mobley added free throws in the final seconds to seal the win.

Cleveland's Donovan Mitchell was sidelined for a third straight game due to a groin injury. Dean Wade also sat out due to a sprained ankle.

Cavaliers: Host the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday.

Nets: At the Miami Heat on Tuesday.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Brooklyn Nets guard Nolan Traore (88) drives past Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill (5) and Cleveland Cavaliers guard Keon Ellis (14) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, March 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Brooklyn Nets forward Ziaire Williams (1) drives past Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, March 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Brooklyn Nets forward Danny Wolf (2) attempts to drives past Cleveland Cavaliers guard Dennis Schroder (8) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, March 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Brooklyn Nets guard Nolan Traore, left, drives past Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden (1) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, March 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden (1) fights for control of the ball with Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. (17) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, March 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices rose sharply when market trading began Sunday, as U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran and retaliatory strikes against Israel and U.S. military installations around the Gulf sent disruptions through the global energy supply chain.

Traders were betting the supply of oil from Iran and elsewhere in the Middle East would slow or grind to a halt. Attacks throughout the region, including on two vessels traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, have restricted countries’ ability to export oil to the rest of the world. Prolonged attacks would likely result in higher prices for crude oil and gasoline, according to energy experts.

West Texas Intermediate, the light, sweet crude oil produced in the United States, was selling for about $72 a barrel Sunday night, according to data from CME group, up around 8% from its trading price of about $67 on Friday.

A barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, was trading at around $79 per barrel Sunday night, up about 8% from its trading price of $72.87 on Friday, according to FactSet.

Roughly 15 million barrels of crude oil per day — about 20% of the world’s oil — are shipped through the Strait of Hormuz, making it the world’s most critical oil chokepoint, according to Rystad Energy. Tankers traveling through the strait, which is bordered in the north by Iran, carry oil and gas from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, the UAE and Iran.

Iran had temporarily shut down parts of the strait in mid-February for what it said was a military drill. Further disruptions to that shipping channel could lead to lower supply and higher prices for oil.

Attacks throughout the region, including on two vessels traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, could restrict countries’ ability to export oil to the rest of the world. That would likely result in higher prices for crude oil and gasoline, according to energy experts.

Against that backdrop, eight countries that are part of the OPEC+ oil cartel announced they would boost production of crude Sunday. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, in a meeting planned before the war began, said it would increase production by 206,000 barrels per day in April, which was more than analysts had been expecting. The countries boosting output include Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria and Oman.

“Roughly one-fifth of global oil supply passes through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for world trade, meaning markets are more concerned with whether barrels can move than with spare capacity on paper,” said Jorge León, Rystad's senior vice president and head of geopolitical analysis, in an email. "If flows through the Gulf are constrained, additional production will provide limited immediate relief, making access to export routes far more important than headline output targets.”

Iran exports roughly 1.6 million barrels of oil a day, mostly to China, which may need to look elsewhere for supply if Iran’s exports are disrupted, another factor that could increase energy prices.

FILE - Fishermen work in front of oil tankers south of the Strait of Hormuz Jan. 19, 2012, offshore the town of Ras Al Khaimah in United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File)