The NBA season is officially underway and opening week carries on with an in-conference matchup between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Brooklyn Nets. Our NBA odds series continues with a Cavaliers-Nets prediction and pick.

The Cavaliers begin this season with their highest expectations from a non-LeBron-led Cleveland team since the 1990s. Donovan Mitchell leads this team that currently has the seventh-best odds to win the NBA Finals this season. They are in this position because of how well-rounded their starting five is between the shiftiness and playmaking ability of their dynamic backcourt and their frontcourt's length and defensive intensity. 

On the other hand, the Brooklyn Nets come into this season as one of the most intriguing teams in the league. After shipping out their big three of Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and James Harden, they finally have a core group of players that want to be in Brooklyn. With all eyes on Ben Simmons, guys such as Mikal Bridges, Nic Claxton, Cam Thomas, and Cameron Johnson are poised to have breakout seasons. If all these guys can come together, this team will be a sleeper in a tough Eastern Conference.

Here are the NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NBA Odds: Cavaliers-Nets Odds

Cleveland Cavaliers: -1 (-110)

Brooklyn Nets: +1 (-110)

Over: 219.5 (-110)

Under: 219.5 (-110)

How to Watch Cavaliers vs. Nets

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT

TV: Bally Sports Ohio, Yes Network, NBA League Pass

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Cavaliers Could Cover The Spread

It does hurt that the Cavaliers will be without big man Jarrett Allen in this season opener due to a _ injury. However, in the two years in Evan Mobley's career that he has played in games at center with Allen out, he has fared quite well. In 30 games without Allen, Mobley has averaged 16.4 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists. Most notably, he has been able to collect a Double-Double in 13 of these 30 games and a total +/- of 7. Many people expect Mobley to be in both the Most Improved Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year award conversations, and this is a big game for him to prove why he belongs in these discussions.

In the modern NBA, it seems as if a team will only go as far as its star player can take them. Luckily for the Cavaliers, the have one of the better superstars in the league. In his first year in Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell is coming off of one of the best seasons in his career. Specifically, in the two games Mitchell played on the road in Brooklyn last season, Mitchell was sensational. He averaged 31.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game and led the Cavaliers to a 2-0 record. With Darius Garland banged up, if Mitchell takes the reigns again like he did last season, the Nets will be in for a long night.

Why The Nets Could Cover The Spread

A significant advantage the Brooklyn Nets have over the Cavaliers and the entire NBA is the length of their backcourt. Neither of the guards Cleveland has in their starting lineup (Garland and Mitchell) stand above 6'3″. Meanwhile, Brooklyn's rotations of guards are a towering force. Projected starting point guard Ben Simmons stands at 6'10” and shooting guard Spencer Dinwiddie at 6'5″ creates a nightmare mismatch with this smaller pairing for the Cavaliers.

Similarly to a couple of other teams around the league, the Brooklyn Nets will look to take advantage of their opponent's injury woes. While the Nets enter this season with a fully healthy roster (except rookie Dariq Whitehead), the Cavaliers are a little worse for the wear. As mentioned earlier, starting center Jarrett Allen will miss this game, but Dean Wade and Ricky Rubio will join him. These two guys are critical players in their rotation. Lastly, they are accompanied by star point guard Darius Garland, who is 50/50 for this game with a hamstring injury.

Final Cavaliers-Nets Prediction & Pick

Due to the unpredictability of the Brooklyn Nets, this is one of the tougher Wednesday night games to pick. If Simmons returns to form and Bridges continues his ascension in Brooklyn, this team could easily end up as a playoff team. While the absence of Allen combined with the sheer length this Brooklyn team possesses should sway this in the Nets' favor, I will be taking the Cavaliers. Look for the pick-and-roll game between Mitchell and Mobley to be on point and the wing cycle of LeVert, Okoro, Strus, and Niang to prove that this area of the floor is no longer a weakness for Cleveland. I am taking the Cavaliers at -1.

Final Cavaliers-Nets Prediction & Pick: Cleveland Cavaliers -1 (-110)