What a cruel collapse for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs weren’t a team expected to make the postseason, let alone be in contention for one of the top six spots. Cleveland was solidly in the top six for most of the regular season before finishing the season on a 3-8 stretch that bumped them into the Eastern Conference play-in tournament. More cruelly, the freefall set them up to play the Brooklyn Nets, which only had sunk to the seventh spot due to having superstars missing games due to injuries and issues with COVID-19 requirements.
Using NBA betting odds would be difficult in determining how good Brooklyn is. The question for the Nets is if they will be able to flip a switch in the postseason to live up to the potential that is displayed throughout their roster. Brooklyn closed the season by winning four straight to steal home-court advantage from Cleveland, including a 118-107 home victory over the Cavaliers on April 10.
Last games records
Cleveland beat Milwaukee 133-115 on April 10 at home. The Cavaliers are 44-38. Brooklyn beat Indiana 134-126 on April 10 at home. The Nets are 44-38.
Matchup Information
Cavaliers at Nets Betting Analysis
Cleveland Betting Analysis
In the Cavaliers’ last meeting with Brooklyn, Cleveland melted down in the fourth quarter. The Cavs were outscored by 16 points in the final quarter on an 11-point loss on the road. Cleveland was done in by poor 3-point shooting, as the Cavs shot 29.6 percent (8-of-27) from the perimeter. Cleveland also struggled on the glass, getting outrebounded 45-31.
Darius Garland, who is 18th in the NBA by averaging 21.7 points per game, scored a team-high 31 points for the Cavs. Cleveland, as a team, shot well from the field, knocked down 48.8 percent of its shots. Brooklyn was able to torment a usually good Cavaliers’ defense.
Cleveland, which ranks fifth in the league in scoring defense by averaging 105.7 points per game, allowed the Nets to score 118. The Cavs’ offense has been stagnant at times this season, ranking 25th in the league by scoring 107.8 points per game.
Brooklyn Betting Analysis
Kevin Durant, who averaged 29.9 points per game in 55 appearances this season, torched Cleveland in their last meeting by scoring a game-high 36 points. He shot 66.7 percent (4-of-6) from the 3-point line and 55 percent (11-of-20) from the field. Brooklyn, as a whole, was deadly from the free-throw line, making 95.2 percent (20-of-21) of its attempts.
When the Nets have had a healthy lineup, which has been almost never this season, they rank fourth in the NBA in field goal percentage by making 47.5 percent from the field. Brooklyn’s offense also ranks in the top 10 in scoring offense, averaging 112.9 points per game, which is ninth in the league.
With Durant in the lineup this season, Brooklyn has compiled a 36-19 record. The Nets’ offense averages 114.7 points per game in those games, which is nearly two points higher than without him.
Updates
Cleveland center Jarrett Allen will miss the game with an injury to his finger. Brooklyn shooting guard Seth Curry is probably with an ankle injury. Nets point guard Goran Dragic is also probably for Tuesday.
- Brooklyn is 33-47-2 against the spread.
- Cleveland is 42-37-3 against the spread.
- The over is 40-41-1 in the Nets’ games this season.
- The over is 37-44-1 in the Cavaliers’ games this season.
- Brooklyn is 3-7 against the spread in its past 10 games.
- Five of Cleveland’s previous seven games have gone over the total.
Cavaliers at Nets Betting Preview
Betting stats NBA shows the Nets are 8.5-point favorites. The Nets are -400 on the moneyline, while the Cavaliers are +310. Anyone looking to make NBA picks can also bet on the over/under, which is set at 228.5 points.
Cavaliers at Nets Betting Prediction
Sports betting guides have this as a classic mismatch. Brooklyn spent most of the season worrying about who was going to play and for how long. However, going into the postseason, the Nets seem to have a majority of their key players available at close to 100 percent. Being able to utilize their experience will make life hard on the Cavaliers, who are returning to the postseason for the first time since the 2017-18 season.
This is a bad matchup for the Cavaliers. Cleveland will keep it close, but Brooklyn’s star power will ultimately be too much for the Cavs to make a serious run at the win.
Bet the Nets -8.5.
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