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Cavaliers vs. Nets Prediction and Odds for NBA's Play-In Tournament (All Roads Lead to the Under in Brooklyn)

By Ben Heisler

Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant are currently listed as 8.5-point favorites over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Play-In Tournament.
Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant are currently listed as 8.5-point favorites over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Play-In Tournament. / Sarah Stier/GettyImages
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The Brooklyn Nets are hosting playoff games, much like we all expected this season!

Well, technically, they're hosting a playoff game, but in the NBA's Play-In Round Tuesday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Nets (7-seed in the East) welcome the Cavs (8-seed) to determine who plays the Boston Celtics (2-seed) in the upcoming first round beginning on Saturday. The loser of tonight will face the winner of the 9-10 matchup between the Charlotte Hornets (10-seed) and Atlanta Hawks (9-seed).

Brooklyn enters on a four-game win streak while the Cavs are just 3-7 over their last 10 games.

Here are the opening odds for Game 1 at WynnBET Sportsbook for the Tuesday Night Play-In Round doubleheader.

Cavaliers vs. Nets Odds, Spread and Total

Spread:

  • Cavaliers +8.5 (-110)
  • Nets -8.5 (-110)

Moneyline:

  • Cavaliers +315
  • Nets -395

Total:

  • 230 (OVER -108 | UNDER -108)

Cavaliers vs. Nets Prediction and Pick

I see this game going one of two ways, with both roads leading towards the under.

The first is a tight ballgame throughout. While the Cavs have dealt with multiple injuries and struggled to find consistency through the final stretch of the season, they still remain one of the best defensive teams in the league. Cleveland ranks fifth overall in defensive rating and third in opponent second chance points.

Why would Brooklyn be vulnerable at home with the playoffs officially underway? Because the entire sample of the season (granted, Kyrie Irving wasn't around until late) indicates that they've been awful as a home favorite all year! Brooklyn finished as the second-worst team in covering the spread at 32-48-2 (40%) overall, but at home, they were abysmal. As a home favorite, Brooklyn went just 5-26-1 ATS this year; covering in only 16.4% of their games at the Barclays Center.

Road number two is the Nets go berserk while the Cavs go ice-cold in their first playoff series since the LeBron Era Part II. Brooklyn ended the season on a four-game win streak to catapult back to the front of the line in the Play-In Tournament, winning three of their last four games by double digits; including a 118-107 win vs. these Cavs. The Cavs don't play fast; entering with the sixth-lowest pace in the league; so trying to run with the Nets is the opposite of what they'll look to do.

Every game between the Cavs and Nets this year has gone under in the regular season. Now that the playoffs are here and there's more half-court sets and isolation, I don't see that drastically changing in the play-in round.

PICK: UNDER 230 (-110)

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