Blake Daniels, March 23, 2023

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Two teams battling for playoff position in the East collide on Thursday night as the Cleveland Cavaliers visit the Brooklyn Nets.

The Cavs are 46-28 SU on the season and they are in 4th place in the Eastern Conference team standings. Right now, Cleveland is trying to hold off the New York Knicks who are four games behind them in the East ladder. They are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games played and head to this matchup with a two-game winning streak.

The Nets are 39-33 SU on the season and they are hanging on to the 6th and final outright playoff spot in the East. Brooklyn is, however, just percentage points ahead of the Heat in the team standings and they need to win this game to avoid falling to the play-in tournament territory. They are just 5-5 SU in their last 10 games played and have lost their last four games played.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Cleveland is 7-3 SU in their last 10 games played. During that span, they are averaging 113.9 points, 37.9 rebounds, 24.9 assists, 8.1 steals, and 4.8 blocks per game while shooting 48.9% from the floor. The Cavs have conceded 107.3 points per game over their last 10 games played.

The Cavs are 30-15 against Eastern Conference teams. They rank third in the East at 52.7 points in the paint and are led by Evan Mobley’s 11.7 points in the paint per game.

Donovan Mitchell is averaging 27.4 points, 4.6 assists, and 1.5 steals per game in their last 10 games played. Caris LeVert has made an average of 2.4 three-pointers per game in his last 10 games played.

Brooklyn Nets

The Nets have split their last 10 games played. Brooklyn is averaging 110.8 points, 42.7 rebounds, 23.7 assists, 8.1 steals, and 5.0 blocks per game in their last 10 outings. During that period, they allowed their opponents to score an average of 109.3 points per game.

Brooklyn is 26-19 SU in Eastern Conference play. The Nets average 13.1 turnovers per game and have a record of 20-15 when they commit fewer turnovers than their opponents.

Spencer Dinwiddie is averaging 17.7 points and 6 assists per game in his last 10 games played. Mikal Bridges is putting up 26.8 points per game in his last 10 games played for the Nets.

Cavaliers vs Nets SU Prediction

The Cavaliers are 4-6 SU in their last 10 games played against the Nets. Cleveland is also 1-4 SU in their last 5 road games played in Brooklyn.

Cleveland Cavaliers SU trends:

• The Cavaliers are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games played.
• The Cavaliers are 17-20 SU in 37 road games played this season.
• The Cavaliers are 7-2 SU in their last 9 games played in March.
• The Cavaliers are 30-15 SU in their last 45 games played against the Eastern Conference.
• The Cavaliers are 28-6 SU in their last 34 games played as betting favorites.

Brooklyn Nets SU trends:

• The Nets are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games played.
• The Nets are 1-3 SU in their last 4 games played at home.
• The Nets are 26-19 SU in their last 45 games played against the Eastern Conference.
• The Nets are 14-8 SU in their last 22 home games against the Eastern Conference.
• The Nets are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games played in March.
• The Nets are 12-21 SU in their last 33 games as betting underdogs.

The Cavaliers look like they are peaking at the right time. They have already passed last year’s win total and are in good shape to earn home-court advantage for the first time since LeBron James left in 2018. With their last win, also against the Net, they have moved 3.5 games up on the New York Knicks in the race for the 4th seed.

Cleveland is 8-3 SU in their last 11 games played since losing three straight games from February 15-24. Last Tuesday, the Cavs trailed by 7 points after one quarter, rallied in the second, and took control of the game in the third quarter. They built a big lead before coasting to a 115-109 win over the Nets.

Donovan Mitchell scored 31 points on 10-22 shooting to lead the Cavs. He made five three-pointers after going 1-9 from downtown in his previous 3 games played.

The Nets enter this game 2.5 games behind the Knicks for 5th place and one-half game ahead of the 7th-seeded Miami Heat. Brooklyn has not held a lead in the second half of any of its last three games played. They trailed by 17 against the Kings last Thursday, 22 against the Nuggets on Sunday, and 24 against the Cavs the last time out

They have lost four straight games, only the second time this season they’ve had a 4-game losing skid. Since their two-point win over Denver last March 12, they are scoring just 103.5 points per game while shooting 43.8% from the field. Mikal Bridges is just 5-23 from deep in his last three games and was 0-8 against the Cavs last Tuesday.

During their current losing streak, the Nets have shot just 31.8% from three-point distance and they were even worse last Tuesday at 9-33 or 27.3% from downtown.

These teams are trending in different directions and the Cavs have looked more determined than the Nets as of late. Brooklyn traded its star players at the deadline while the Cavaliers acquired one in Mitchell at the start of the campaign. Give me the Cavs to win on the road.

Prediction: Cleveland Cavaliers

Cavaliers vs Nets ATS Prediction

The Cavs are 6-3-1 ATS in their last 10 games played against the Nets. Cleveland is 3-7-1 ATS in their last 11 games played in Brooklyn.

Cleveland Cavaliers ATS trends:

• The Cavaliers are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games played.
• The Cavaliers are 4-2 ATS in their last 6 games played on the road.
• The Cavaliers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 road games against a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
• The Cavaliers are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games playing on 1 day’s rest.
• The Cavaliers are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 Thursday games.
• The Cavaliers are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games played against the Atlantic Division.
• The Cavaliers are 25-17-3 ATS in their last 45 games played against the Eastern Conference.
• The Cavaliers are 10-11-1 ATS in their last 22 road games played against the Eastern Conference.

Brooklyn Net ATS trends:

• The Nets are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games overall.
• The Nets are 22-45-2 ATS in their last 69 home games.
• The Nets are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games playing on 1 day’s rest.
• The Nets are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games versus a team with a winning straight-up record.
• The Nets are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Nets are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 home games against a team with a losing road record.
• The Nets are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games following a straight-up loss.
• The Nets are 4-11-1 ATS in their last 16 Thursday games.
• The Nets are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following an ATS loss.
• The Nets are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Nets are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Nets are 4-9 ATS in their last 14 Thursday games.
• The Nets are 10-12 ATS in their last 22 home games against the Eastern Conference.

These teams played just last Tuesday with the Cavs covering the 4-point spread by two points. Brooklyn is without Ben Simmons again and they have struggled with their offense during their current losing streak.

They will have problems with the Cavaliers here as Cleveland ranks 1st in scoring defense and defensive rebounds. The Cavs have been playing well as of late and have covered the spread in four out of their last five outings. With Cleveland healthy right now, they have a superior roster compared to Brooklyn. Give me Mitchell to play another big game for the Cavs.

Prediction: Cleveland Cavaliers -4

Cavaliers vs Nets Over/Under Prediction

The over is 7-2 in the last 9 games played between these two teams. The over is also 3-2 in their last five meetings played in Brooklyn.

Cleveland Cavaliers over/under trends:

• The over is 5-1 in the Cavaliers’ last 6 overall.
• The over is 4-0 in the Cavaliers’ last 4 road games.
• The over is 4-0 in the Cavaliers’ last 4 games following an ATS win.
• The over is 4-0 in the Cavaliers’ last 4 games when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The over is 4-0 in the Cavaliers’ last 4 games following a straight-up win.
• The over is 6-1-1 in the Cavaliers’ last 8 Thursday games.
• The over is 6-1 in the Cavaliers’ last 7 road games versus a team with a winning home record.
• The over is 5-1 in the Cavaliers’ last 6 games when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The over is 5-1 in the Cavaliers’ last 6 games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The over is 4-1 in the Cavaliers’ last 5 games after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The over is 4-1 in the Cavaliers’ last 5 road games versus a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
• The over is 7-2 in the Cavaliers’ last 9 games against a team with a winning straight-up record.
• The over is 7-3 in the Cavaliers’ last 10 games playing on 1 day’s rest.

Brooklyn Nets over/under trends:

• The under is 7-3 in the Nets’ last 10 overall.
• The under is 4-1 in the Nets’ last 5 home games.
• The under is 6-1 in the Nets’ last 7 games versus a team with a winning % above .600.
• The under is 7-2 in the Nets’ last 9 games when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The under is 7-2 in the Nets’ last 9 games when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The under is 7-2 in the Nets’ last 9 games playing on 1 day’s rest.
• The under is 8-3 in the Nets’ last 11 Thursday games.
• The over is 7-2 in the Nets’ last 9 games against a team with a winning straight-up record.
• The over is 7-3 in the Nets’ last 10 games following an ATS loss.

The Cavs are the slowest team in the NB as they rank 30th in tempo at 95.6 possessions per game. The Nets have an over/under record of 39-32-1 to the under. Brooklyn is also 18th in the NBA in pace at 98.6 possessions per game. They are also struggling on offense right now at less than 104 points per game in their last three games played.

With the way the Nets have been struggling to hit their three-pointers as of late, I don’t see the teams going over the total. The Cavs’ defense has conceded 109 or fewer points four times in their last five games played. I like these teams to hit the under.

Prediction: Under 217.5