In the opening game of the Play-in tournament, the Brooklyn Nets will take on the Cleveland Cavaliers. The game will take place on 13 April at 2:00 AM UTC(+3 UTC). The winner of this game will seize the seventh spot while the loser will have one more chance to seal the Playoff spot versus the winner of the game between the Atlanta Hawks and the Charlotte Hornets. Will the Nets be able to take care of business at home?
Bet on Brooklyn Nets - Cleveland Cavaliers
Best bets on Nets vs Cavaliers
Total 1: Bookmakers related to 1xBet suggest that the Brooklyn Nets (Total 1) are going to be past 118.5(equal odds of 1.90). Although the offense can slow down during the Playoffs but the Nets have Irving and Durant capable of going past 30 points while Bruce Brown and Seth Curry can chip in 10+ with Drummond’s inside scoring and elite rebounding. Betting Over 118.5 does sound risky considering the increased intensity on defense but you can’t bet against the scoring prowess of Durant and Irving. I lean on “under” here despite that.
Player Props: Darius Garland: Bookmakers at Bet365 have set the odds of 1.86 for Darius Garland’s Assists Over 8.5. Garland averaged 8.6 assists over the season and in his last five games, only dished 9 assists or more twice. Still, I believe he will go “Over” that mark.
Handicap: Bookmakers at 22Bet favor the Brooklyn Nets to win this game and they are placing equal identical odds of 1.90 towards the handicap of 8.5. It means they believe that the Nets are likely to clinch this game by nine points or so and it will not be surprising considering how poorly the Cavaliers are faring these days. I’d suggest betting on Handicap 1 (-9.5) for the odds of 2.06.
Where to Watch Nets vs Cavaliers
This game is available on the NBA League Pass.
Bet on Brooklyn Nets - Cleveland Cavaliers
Brooklyn Nets
Brooklyn Nets will take on a Cavs team that does have length but will play without Jarrett Allen. This will give more breathing room for Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, especially if they wish to drive inside and well, we know they can shoot the lights out. Andre Drummond has been huge on the rebounding end, however, it has been the versatility of Bruce Brown who can play multiple positions that will be vital here. Seth Curry can pump outside shots but the bench depth has been questionable. However, the Nets can use Goran Dragic off the bench and then deploy Bruce Brown as the small-ball center alongside Durant, Irving, and Curry in an interesting scheme. Apart from that, Nic Claxton, Patty Mills, and Kessler Edwards can round off the rest of the minutes but I believe the Nets will close the business early here.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Cavaliers’ defense has been highly disappointing these days and that is because of the absence of Jarrett Allen. They will need something special from Okoro and Mobley to shut down Durant but that is not the only issue, Kyrie Irving will keep the perimeter busy where Garland and LeVert have their hands full. Lauri Markkanen as the stretch-four will also need to be more alert defensively while helping out to eke out rebounds, and if the Nets deploy their small-ball lineup, the Cavs can use their size on the rebounding end. On the offensive end, Darius Garland needs a ton of help from Caris LeVert, who is due a big night and this is the occasion to rise for the talented isolation driving guard. Mobley, Markkanen, and Kevin Love of the bench form a sturdy scoring lineup but they will need to up their game against the scoring prowess of the Nets.
Nets vs Cavaliers: possible lineups
- Nets most likely starting five: PG: Kyrie Irving | SG: Seth Curry | SF: Kevin Durant| F: Bruce Brown | C: Andre Drummond;
- Cavaliers most likely starting five: PG: Darius Garland | G: Caris LeVert | SF: Isaac Okoro | PF: Lauri Markkanen | C: Evan Mobley.
