Brooklyn Nets vs. Cleveland Cavaliers December 26 Betting Preview

The Cleveland Cavaliers (22-12) snapped a five-game winning streak their last time out as they got handled pretty easily by the Toronto Raptors.

The Brooklyn Nets (21-12) have been one of the hottest teams in the league, as they’ve won eight straight games and 12 of their last 13.

Cleveland Cavaliers Betting Preview

The Cavs struggled mightily against the Raptors, as Donovan Mitchell was held to just 12 points on 4-of-16 shooting from the floor.

Darius Garland gave his best effort to keep his team in the game, finishing with 17 points and eight assists, but that wasn’t even close to being enough to help his team win.

The Cavs will be facing off against a very hot Nets team, with both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving really coming into their own and everybody else on the Nets figuring out their roles.

It’ll be imperative for them to keep Jarrett Allen underneath the rim to prevent both Durant and Irving from getting easy offense from inside the paint. 

Evan Mobley will likely be tasked with guarding Durant as well, but the biggest question is if he can keep up with the former MVP laterally and really be aggressive in preventing Durant from getting enough lift on his mid-range jumpers.

Brooklyn Nets Betting Preview

The Nets are finally starting to look like the championship-contending team that many people were expecting, as they’ve been able to largely eliminate the drama and distractions surrounding their team and put their primary focus into basketball.

Kevin Durant is making it look too easy out there with his ability to hunt for his own shots and finish at the rim, which is why he’s shooting over 55 percent from the field.

Kyrie Irving has also stepped up when he’s needed to in recent games, as his 14-point burst in the fourth quarter helped the Nets finish off their blowout win over the Bucks.

The X-factors are also proving to be exactly the pieces the Nets have needed during this stretch, as both Ben Simmons and Nic Claxton are finding themselves as integral parts of the Nets’ defense.

Claxton and Simmons were both getting physical with Giannis Antetokounmpo and have also been able to provide excellent rim protection and defense out on the wings.

The way the Nets have been playing basketball lately, it’s hard to see them slowing down any time soon.

Odds

The Cavs are favored by a -2 spread, as they’ll be the home team looking to move up the Eastern Conference standings.

However, they’ll be facing off against one of the hottest and most dangerous teams in the league, so their margin for error is as slim as it can be.

With that said, expect the Nets to be the team to come out victorious in this one, as they are just unstoppable right now.