Teams looking to close the regular season on a roll clash on Thursday when the Cleveland Cavaliers face the Brooklyn Nets in the second of a back-to-back matchup. The Cavaliers (46-28), who defeated Brooklyn 115-109 on Tuesday, will look to stay in fourth-place in the East to secure home-court advantage in the first round of 2023 NBA playoffs. The Nets (39-33), who are sixth in the East and are looking to avoid the NBA play-in tournament, have dropped four in a row. The Cavs are 30-15 against Eastern Conference foes, while the Nets are 26-19 versus the East.
Ben Simmons (knee/back) is out for the Nets, and tip off is at 7:30 p.m. ET from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The Cavs are averaging 112.2 points per game this season, 25th-best in the league, while the Nets average 113.4, tied for 19th-best. Cleveland is a 4-point favorite in the latest Cavaliers vs. Nets odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 219. Before making any Nets vs. Cavaliers picks, be sure to check out the NBA predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past four-plus seasons. The model enters Week 23 of the 2022-23 NBA season on a stunning 69-36 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,900. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Cavs vs. Nets and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are the NBA lines and trends for Nets vs. Cavs:
- Cavaliers vs. Nets spread: Cavaliers -4
- Cavaliers vs. Nets over/under: 219 points
- Cavaliers vs. Nets money line: Cavaliers -170, Nets +143
- CLE: The Cavs are 5-2 against the spread in their last seven road games versus a team with a home winning % above .600
- BK: The Nets are 5-0 ATS in their last five games playing on one day's rest
- Cavaliers vs. Nets picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Cavaliers can cover
Power forward Evan Mobley has been hot over the past 10 games, averaging 17.4 points and nine rebounds during that stretch. He scored 13 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in a 118-109 loss to Philadelphia on March 15. In Tuesday's win over Brooklyn, Mobley scored 17 points, grabbed four rebounds and dished out three assists. Across 72 games, all starts, he is averaging 16.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.4 blocks in 34.3 minutes of action.
Center Jarrett Allen is back in the lineup and is coming off a 12-point and 14-rebound effort at Brooklyn. He has two double-doubles over his past three games, including a 15-point and 12-rebound performance in a 104-100 win at Miami on March 8. In 63 games, all starts, Allen is averaging 14.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 blocks. In two games against the Nets this season, he is averaging 11 points and 12.5 rebounds.
Why the Nets can cover
Despite that, Cleveland isn't a lock to cover the Cavaliers vs. Nets spread. That's because Brooklyn small forward Mikal Bridges is averaging nearly 27 points per game over the past 10 contests. He scored 34 points, while grabbing four rebounds, blocking four shots, and dishing out two assists in a 121-107 loss at Oklahoma City on March 14. He scored 38 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and had four assists in a 115-105 win at Boston on March 3. In 73 games, all starts for both Phoenix and Brooklyn, he is averaging 19.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game.
Point guard Spencer Dinwiddie is coming off a double-double against the Cavaliers on Tuesday. In that game, he scored 19 points, while dishing out 11 assists. He also had five rebounds. In 17 games as a member of the Nets after being acquired last month, he has recorded five double-doubles, including three in the last five games. In 70 games split between Dallas and Brooklyn, Dinwiddie is averaging 17.7 points, six assists and 3.3 rebounds in 34.4 minutes.
How to make Cavaliers vs. Nets picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 229 combined points. It has also generated an against-the-spread pick that cashes in well over 50% of simulations. You can only get the model's pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Nets vs. Cavs? And which side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Cavaliers vs. Nets spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up nearly $2,900 on all top-rated NBA picks this season, and find out.
