The Brooklyn Nets (20-41) will try to end a six-game road losing streak when they clash against the Cleveland Cavaliers (35-24) at Quicken Loans Arena. The Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 221 points with Cleveland set as a 12-point favorite. Action gets underway at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, February 27, 2018, and it can be seen on YES Network.
Brooklyn Nets at Cleveland Cavaliers ATS Preview
In the Nets’ last outing, they were victorious over the Chicago Bulls, 104-87. With 18 points and nine rebounds, Brooklyn’s Jarrett Allen put together a good performance. Brooklyn’s effective field goal percentage was their biggest strength over Chicago. The Nets had a rate of 0.533 (above their season average of 0.504), while the Bulls posted a mark of 0.387 (below their season average of 0.501).
The Cavaliers are hoping for a better outcome after their 110-94 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in their last contest. LeBron James was the top scorer from either team with 33 points on 14-for-25 shooting. San Antonio did an excellent job of converting from the charity stripe (25-32; 78.1 percent). Cleveland, meanwhile, had an offensive rebounding percentage of 27.7 (above their season average of 19.3).
The prolific offense of Cleveland will go head-to-head against the bottom-tier defense of Brooklyn. The Cavaliers currently rank fifth in offensive efficiency, while the Nets are 22nd in defensive efficiency. The Cavaliers figure to have the advantage on that end of the court.
Of Brooklyn’s 60 games with betting action, 34 have finished under the projected point total, while 30 of Cleveland’s 59 games have finished over the O/U total. The Cavaliers hold the significant advantage straight up (SU) (35-24 vs. 20-41), but the Nets have been superior against the spread (ATS) (33-26-1 vs. 19-39-1).
Allen Crabbe has taken his game to another level over the last five games for Brooklyn, averaging 22.4 points per game.
These two teams have met twice already this season, each winning once. James scored a game-high 33 points in the most recent matchup, in which the Cavaliers defeated the Nets 119-109 but were unable to cover as 11-point favorites. He also recorded six rebounds and five assists. The two teams combined for 228 points, which was just 0.5 points above the projected point total of 227.5 points. The Cavaliers dominated nearly every facet of the game. They had a great turnover percentage of 9.6 and a free throw rate of 0.232. The Nets put up marks of 17.8 and 0.136, respectively, for those same stats.
Brooklyn Nets at Cleveland Cavaliers ATS Prediction
Prediction: SU Winner – Cavaliers, ATS Winner – Nets, O/U – Under
Betting Notes:
- The Nets rank fourth in rebounds per game (45.2) while the Cavaliers rank 23rd (41.8).
- Cleveland ranks 23rd in steals per game (7.1) while Brooklyn ranks last (6.1).
- Cleveland ranks 13th in points off turnovers per game (16.6) while Brooklyn ranks last (14.2).
- On the road, Brooklyn is 18-12 ATS with 17 unders and 13 overs.
- At home, Cleveland is 6-22-1 ATS with 14 overs, 14 unders and 1 push.
- Cleveland is 13-2 when they allow under 100 points, while Brooklyn is 12-1.
- The Nets are 16-26 when they score more than 100 points, while the Cavaliers are 34-13.
- The Cavaliers rank 17th in second chance points allowed per game (12.6) while the Nets rank 26th (13.4).
- Brooklyn ranks first in three pointers allowed per game (24.8) while Cleveland ranks last (31.9).
- The Cavaliers rank fifth in blocks allowed per game (4.2) while the Nets rank 29th (5.8).
- The Nets average 43.7 points in the paint per game, which ranks 16th in the NBA. The Cavaliers rank 23rd in points allowed in the paint per game (46.5).
- Brooklyn ranks fifth in assists allowed per game (21.1) while Cleveland ranks 29th (25.8).
Bettings Trends:
- Cleveland is 3-2 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs in their last five games.
- Over their last five games, Brooklyn is 1-4 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs.
- The Cavaliers’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 6.0, up from 0.2 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Nets have scored an average of 106.4 points per game (1.2 above their season average) and allowed an average of 111.6 points per game (2.3 above their season average).