Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Brooklyn Nets March 23 Betting Preview

An Eastern Conference battle takes place between the Cleveland Cavaliers (46-28) and the Brooklyn Nets (39-33) in a rematch from just a few days ago. Cleveland comes into this matchup in fourth place in the East, while Brooklyn currently holds a half-game lead for the sixth spot. 

The Cavs took the last matchup on Tuesday clawing out a 115-109 victory over the Nets. Both teams are looking to improve their position in the East and battle it out to grab a victory. Let’s take a closer look at this Thursday night matchup at Barclays Center. 

Cavaliers Playing Well Down The Stretch

The Cleveland Cavaliers are back in action as winners of seven of their last nine, including a six-point victory over the Nets in their last game. Donovan Mitchell dominated the Nets collecting 31 points. Double-double machine Jarrett Allen saw his first action in weeks recording 12 points and 14 rebounds in the victory. 

Cleveland has been one of the most reliable and consistent teams in the NBA this year. Offensively, the Cavs have the third-highest field goal percentage in the NBA, led by Mitchell and Darius Garland. 

Defensively, Cleveland has one of the most fearsome units in the league, with the best defensive rating in the NBA. They have the lowest point (106.6) and three-point shooting (11.3) totals allowed per game. The Cavaliers' defense also has the fourth-highest turnover rate while ranking tenth in effective field goal percentage allowed. 

Currently, the Cavaliers are a near lock for one of the top four seeds in the Eastern conference playoffs. With the season winding down, they will continue to battle for the highest possible seed. Additionally, the Cavaliers have covered the spread in three of their last four contests and have gone over the total in five of their last six games. 

Nets Look To Break Four-Game Losing Skid

The Brooklyn Nets enter this contest looking to avenge their loss against the Cavaliers at home. In the loss, Brooklyn Guard Spencer Dinwiddie had 19 points and 11 rebounds with Cameron Johnson and Mikal Bridges adding 16 and 18 points respectively. They will look to get a win and keep pace to stay in the playoff race in the East. 

Since the Kevin Durant blockbuster trade, the Nets have struggled to find their identity on both sides of the ball. Brooklyn's scoring offense has been weak and it has certainly cost them as they have lost four straight and 11 of their last 16. 

While the offense is averaging less than 102 points on 43.2% shooting (28th), the defense has played much better. They held the King's league-leading offense to just 101 points and reigning MVP Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets to 108. Additionally, the Nets have improved their defensive effort at home, posting a 104.6 defensive rating in their previous four games at the Barclays Center.

Despite losing four straight contests and failing to cover the spread in each of those games, Brooklyn had previously covered the spread in six contests in a row. The Nets have also been a terrific under team, going under the total in seven of their last ten games. 

Cavaliers vs. Nets Preveiw

This will be an interesting rematch between two current East playoff teams. Cleveland has struggled on the road this year, with a 17-20 record, but they are 7-4 ATS in their last four games. Brooklyn on the other hand has lost four straight up and ATS. 

This should be another tightly contested matchup as the Cavaliers are just 3.5-point spread favorites entering this contest, with the total listed at 218.5. Expect this matchup to be tightly contested on defense with the Cavaliers spreading the ball around, while the Nets will rely on their new additions to try to pick up the win.