The Brooklyn Nets (12-5) travel to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse Monday to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers (9-8). Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Nets vs. Cavaliers odds and lines, and make our expert NBA picks, predictions and bets.
Brooklyn is coming into this game having won two straight following its absolute flat performance in a 117-99 home loss to the West Conference-leading Golden State Warriors Tuesday.
Led by former MVPs Kevin Durant and James Harden, the Nets were preseason title favorites. They’re 8-9 against the spread (ATS) and 7-10 on the Over/Under (O/U). Brooklyn is 6-2 on the road.
Cleveland is still without rookie phenom F Evan Mobley and top-scorer G Collin Sexton. Much will be expected of G Darius Garland and big Jarrett Allen Monday.
The Cavaliers lost 109-99 to the Nets in Brooklyn Wednesday and are on a 3-game losing skid. They’re 10-7 ATS and 5-12 O/U.
Nets at Cavaliers odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 9 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Nets -340 (bet $340 to win $100) | Cavaliers +260 (bet $100 to win $260)
- Against the spread (ATS): Nets -7.5 (-105) | Cavaliers +7.5 (-120)
- Over/Under (O/U): 207.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Nets at Cavaliers key injuries
Nets
- G Bruce Brown (hamstring) out
- G Joe Harris (ankle) out
- G Kyrie Irving (personal) out
Cavaliers
- F Evan Mobley (elbow) out
- F Cedi Osman (back) doubtful
- G Collin Sexton (knee) out
Nets at Cavaliers odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Nets 109, Cavaliers 103
Money line
PASS on the money line. The Cavaliers should be more competitive with Allen back in the lineup.
The Nets should still come out on top, so I wouldn’t back the Cavs quite yet, but the +260 is the only side worth considering as the Nets have been far too inconsistent to garner a look at -340.
Against the spread
“LEAN” to the CAVALIERS +7.5 (-120).
The Nets bagged 95 points from just 4 players when these teams faced off last Wednesday. That’s not typically ideal for the sake of consistency, especially with the Cavs having brought back potential All-Star center Allen.
The Cavs have a defensive rating of 103 with Allen on the court which would be good for third-best in the NBA, although the defensive prowess of F Isaac Okoro still held Durant to just 23 points in their last meeting.
Forward Kevin Love is back as well which will add some scoring for Cleveland as they should be able to top 100 points for the first time in more than two weeks.
The glass is another reason why I’m backing Cleveland. The Cavs have the 12th-best offensive rebounding rate while the Nets have the 25th-best total rebounding rate. Cleveland should be able to attack the offensive glass successfully.
The Cavaliers 3-game skid is the largest in the Eastern Conference and they should come out on a mission in this one.
Over/Under
BET on the OVER 207.5 (-110) as Love’s presence should bode well for this total.
Having a combined five scoring titles between Durant and Harden is a major reason to back the Over. The Nets rank third in true shooting percentage and ninth in pace.
If they can get out early, they’ll control the speed of the game, much like last time when the Cavaliers needed a 13-point third quarter difference just to hang around.
This total would’ve hit last time around, and the return of a few key Cavaliers should only bode well for them offensively. The Cavs also shot under 40% from the field in the last meeting and they should be able to put some points on the board if they can get back to their mean.
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