The Brooklyn Nets are sick and tired of losing to the Cavaliers.

That much is clear every time Nic Claxton scores (which is rare) and then proceeds to glare at any Cavs players in his orbit. Claxton’s menacing looks were enough to rile up Tristan Thompson in Paris, but it didn’t change the outcome of that game – a Cavs blowout.

Early in the third quarter of the Cavs’ 118-95 win over the Nets on Feb. 8, Ben Simmons decided it was his turn to poke the bear.

The Cavs were up 59-51 at halftime. On their first possession, Max Strus drove to the basket and dished to Evan Mobley down low. Former Kansas standout Jalen Wilson – making his first NBA start – fouled Mobley. Nothing out of the ordinary there.

But away from the ball, Ben Simmons and Jarrett Allen were tangled up as they jockeyed for position to the left of the basket. Then Simmons shoved Allen to the floor.

The usually mild-mannered Allen sprang to his feet and charged at Simmons, shoving him in the chest before Donovan Mitchell restrained him.

Some confusion ensued.

When the dust settled, the officials – who reviewed Simmons’ initial shove as a “hostile act” – whistled Allen and Simmons for offsetting technical fouls. Because of Wilson’s foul, Mobley got two free throws, and canned both.

NBA crew chief Kevin Scott, who had a direct line of sight, immediately slapped Simmons with a T. But in my opinion, Simmons deserved a flagrant foul for the shove, which could have resulted in a serious injury to Allen.

The Cavaliers, who came into the game riding a seven-game winning streak, retaliated the right way. They clamped down on defense, blocked shots, prowled the passing lanes and attacked the basket en route to a 21-0 run to open the third quarter.

“That is how you take the hope away,” the always-quotable Cavaliers legend Austin Carr said during the Bally Sports telecast.

Cam Thomas scored the first Nets’ first points of the second half when he made a pullup jump shot with 6:39 left in the third.

After the game, Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Allen’s reaction to the Simmons shove fired up the rest of the team.

“The guys love it,” Bickerstaff said. “They love to see the fire that burns within Jarrett, and it takes a lot to get him to that point. Jarrett is kind of to himself and all those things, mild-mannered, but … he’s gonna stand up for himself, he’s gonna stand up for his teammates, and his teammates know that, and they trust him and believe in him, and they’ve got his back too.”

The shorthanded Nets had their work cut out for them from the beginning. They were without Royce O’Neale and Spencer Dinwiddie – both traded – and newly acquired veteran Dennis Schroder was in street clothes. A fairly lengthy injury list included Cameron Johnson (13.9 points per game) and backup big Day’Ron Sharpe.

That said, the Cavs did not look like a team that was on the second leg of a back-to-back.

Donovan Mitchell set the tone early with 13 first-quarter points, including three triples. It marked the 13th time this season that Mitchell has scored 10 or more points in the first frame.

Dean Wade splashed three 3-pointers in the first half.

Overall, the Cavs shot 54% from the field, and the NBA’s No. 2-ranked defense held the Nets to 40% shooting. They finished with a 48-34 edge in rebounding.

Other than The Shove, Simmons was quiet with six points in 19 minutes and a plus/minus rating of minus 26.

Mitchell was outstanding, leading all scorers with 27 points.

The two-headed monster of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley combined for 28 points and 22 rebounds. Both players had double-doubles.

It’s Raining Triples

The Cavs were 15-of-37 from 3-point range.

The streaky Georges Niang warmed up the G-Wagon after a bit of a cold stretch, going 3-for-6 from 3-point range and chipping in 13 points.

Sam Merrill added nine points – all triples – and Isaac Okoro was 2-of-3 from 3-point range.

“I thought we got great looks,” Bickerstaff said after the game. “And to clarify it also, we’re not out here just jacking threes. What we’re looking for are quality shots and quality threes that are created by one another. I think in the first half we had 17 assists on our 22 field goals – that’s what we’re aiming to do. We’re trying to see how many layups, how many threes can we generate for one another, because we want to get the right ones and continue to play the game selflessly.”