Brooklyn Nets (20-30) vs Cleveland Cavaliers (32-16)
Game Info: Thursday, February 8, 2024 at 7:30 pm (Barclays Center)
Betting Odds: Brooklyn Nets +5.5 -- Over/Under: 226.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Brooklyn Nets collide at the Barclays Center on Thursday night. Here’s a Cavs vs Nets Prediction.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers have been in red-hot form as they've won 15 of their last 16 games overall and they will be eager to stay hot after outlasting the Wizards in a 114-106 road win last night. Donovan Mitchell led the team with 40 points, eight rebounds and five assists on 14 of 25 shooting, Evan Mobley added 22 points with eight rebounds on nine of 10 shooting while Darius Garland chipped in with 13 points. As a team, the Cavaliers shot 48 percent from the field and 12 of 35 from the 3-point line as they found themselves in a real contest with the pesky Wizards until midway though the fourth quarter where they went on a pivotal 7-0 run to start to pull away. The Cavaliers will meet the Raptors, 76ers, and Bulls after this one.
Brooklyn Nets
Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Nets have been doing it tough lately as they've lost six of their last nine games overall and they will be hoping to avoid a third straight defeat after getting routed by the Mavericks in a 119-107 loss on Tuesday. Mikal Bridges led the team with 28 points and four assists, Royce O'Neale added 18 points off the bench while Cam Thomas chipped in with 16 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. As a team, the Nets shot 45 percent from the field and 12 of 33 from the 3-point line, but they struggled to keep pace from the start as they just had no answer for the Mavericks' duo of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic who combined for 71 points. The Nets trailed in this one by as many as 23 points before they scored a late flurry of points in the fourth quarter to keep the final scores respectable.
Brooklyn Nets Player Facts
- Nicolas Claxton ranks 2nd in the Eastern Conference amongst qualified players for Blocks Per Game (2.4) this season.
- Spencer Dinwiddie ranks 6th amongst qualified players for assist:turnover ratio (4.6) this season.
Cleveland Cavaliers Player Facts
- Donovan Mitchell ranks 2nd amongst qualified players for steals per game (1.9) this season.
- Jarrett Allen is one of only five players in the league to have recorded a double-doubles in 10+ consecutive games this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Nets rank 3rd in the league for opponent steals per game this season (6.6).
- The Nets rank 28th in the league for opponent free throw percentage this season (80.9%).
- The Cavaliers rank 2nd in the league for opponent field goals made per game this season (39.9).
- The Cavaliers rank 2nd in the league for Q2 opponent points per game this season (26.6).
Cavs vs Nets Prediction
The Cavaliers are still a little shorthanded with Ty Jerome still out, while the Nets are still missing Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith and Lonnie Walker. The Cavaliers are arguably the hottest team in the league right now and they are still deserved favorites in this one, despite being the road team playing on zero days' rest. The Nets are capable of pulling off the upset here if Bridges or Simmons can have big games, but the Cavaliers are clearly the more reliable and consistent team, so I'm sticking with the Cavaliers at the reasonable line.
Peter’s Pick Cleveland -5.5
AUTHOR: Peter Tran
