The NBA regular season continues with games on Monday. The Brooklyn Nets will travel to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers. It's time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Nets-Cavaliers prediction and pick.
These two teams have had very similar starts to the season. The Brooklyn Nets have a record of 27-15 and are coming off a solid win. While the Cleveland Cavaliers are 26-18 and have won their last four games. This should be a great game between two very competitive teams.
Here are the Nets-Cavaliers NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Nets-Cavaliers Odds
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Brooklyn Nets: +3 (-108)
Cleveland Cavaliers: -3 (-112)
Over: 221.5 (-110)
Under: 221.5 (-110)
Why The Nets Could Cover The Spread
The Brooklyn Nets have had a good start to the year. Through the first have of the season they have managed to win 27 games and only lose 15. Brooklyn is coming off a 15 point victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. While this team has faced some adversity in the first half of the year, they seem to be bouncing back and gaining some momentum. Cleveland is a tough opponent and if the Nets want to extend their win streak to two they will need to step things up. Brooklyn put in a solid all around performance against New Orleans, but that might not be enough on Monday.
In the Nets win over the Pelicans, Brooklyn had the edge across nearly all statistics. Their most notable stat was clearly their shooting efficiency. The Nets took 84 shots, compared to 87 from New Orleans, and made 46 of them, compared to only 40 from the Pelicans. This type of efficiency is difficult to keep up with. Additionally, the Nets went 12 for 27 from beyond the arc. While their total shooting volume was nothing out of the ordinary, their efficiency allowed them to win by a large margin. If the Nets can hit shots at that same rate against Cleveland, then they could easily come out on top.
The biggest battle for Brooklyn lies not in Cleveland, but within this team. The Nets are currently dealing with numerous unavailable players due to COVID and injuries. Brooklyn currently has six players listed on their injury report. The newest addition to the list is none other than Kevin Durant, who suffered an MCL sprain on Sunday and will be out for four to six weeks. This is a huge blow to the Nets and has the potential to impact their entire season. While Brooklyn has the talent to hold on for these next weeks, it will certainly be a struggle. If Brooklyn wants to win on Monday they will need their other guys to step up.
Why The Cavaliers Could Cover The Spread
The Cleveland Cavaliers have had a great season so far. Through the first half of the year they have a solid winning record with 26 wins and 18 losses. Cleveland has managed to win their last four games, with their most recent victory coming against the OKC Thunder by five. While the Cavs competition might not have been the best in their past few games, it is still a very good sign to see them consistently winning. Cleveland has had to battle through adversity this season with COVID and injuries, but they finally look like the competitive team they are. Monday's game provides this team with the opportunity to further prove that they are one of the top teams in the league.
Cleveland underperformed against OKC but still managed to come out on top. The Cavs had a poor shooting night and were actually down 46-56 through the first half of the game. However, Cleveland was able to rally in the third quarter and outscored the Thunder 37-29 and ultimately win in the fourth quarter. The Cavs were behind because of their lack of shooting efficiency and rebounding. The Thunder out rebounded the Cavs by 14, and Cleveland only made nine of their 35 three point attempts. While the Cavs were still able to get that win, that type of performance won't cut it against the Nets, even without KD.
Probably the biggest thing going the Cavs way is the lack of injuries and COVID absences. Cleveland only has four players listed on their injury report. Now that the Cavs are mostly healthy they have been able to battle and pick up where they left off before they had multiple key players missing games. This Cleveland team has the potential to make a run this year, and that all starts with Monday's game. If the Cavs show up ready to take this one then they should be able to.
Final Nets-Cavaliers Prediction & Pick
This is not too difficult of a decision. While the Nets have plenty of star power without KD, losing their best player will surely take its toll. The Cavs have been on fire lately and have managed to consistently scrape out wins. Even though Cleveland has a tendency to play down to their opponent, they are also more than capable of rising to the occasion. Pick the Cavs to win and cover.
FINAL NETS-CAVALIERS PICK: Cleveland Cavaliers -3 (-112)
FINAL NETS-CAVALIERS SCORE PREDICTION: Cavaliers 114 – Nets 106
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