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In the first game of a doubleheader on NBA TV Monday night, the Brooklyn Nets are going on the road to play the Cleveland Cavaliers. This is the second time that these two teams have played each other through within the past week.
The Nets (12-5) have won four out of their last five games, which includes a two-point win against the Orlando Magic over the weekend. The Cavs (9-8) have lost three consecutive games after losing 104-89 to the Golden State Warriors at home. We’ll go over some ideal picks on DraftKings Sportsbook centered around the game here.
Nets vs. Cavaliers, 7:00 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Nets -6.5
When the Nets and Cavaliers played last week, Brooklyn came away with a 10-point victory. In that game, Harden had 27 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists to led the way for the Nets. Meanwhile, Kevin Durant added 23 points and Patty Mills stepped up for the injured Joe Harris, scoring 21 points on 6-of-12 shooting from three-point range.
The Nets have won their last three road games by an average of 21.6 points per game and they are actually playing defense this season. Brooklyn is only giving up 104.6 points per game and 105.6 points per game on the road. However, they are going up against a good defensive team in the Cavs, who are ranked third in points allowed at 101.7. And they have the second-best home defense in the NBA at 98.4 points per game.
Brooklyn is 4-3 against the spread when they are the road favorite this season and 7-8-1 ATS when they are a favorite anywhere. The Cavs are an outstanding 11-3-1 ATS this season, which is a testament to how well J.B. Bickerstaff has his team playing. But Cleveland is just 3-3 ATS as the home dog this season. If Evan Mobley was playing, then I could see this being a game, but Brooklyn’s offense has been rolling and should do that again tonight.
Over/Under: Under 209
When they played last week at the Barclays Center, the total points scored was 208. The total for tonight’s game is at 209. As highlighted above, both teams are solid defensively and can lockdown when they want too. The total has gone under in seven out of the Cavs’ last seven home games. If Cleveland wants to keep it close, then the under will have to be in play.
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