The NBA play-in tournament begins tonight when the Cleveland Cavaliers travel to Brooklyn to face the Nets. The winner of this game becomes the seventh seed in the NBA playoffs for the Eastern Conference. The loser will host an elimination game between themselves and the winner of the Atlanta Hawks vs Charlotte Hornets game. With their playoff lives on the line, who will be the right NBA pick?
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Brooklyn Nets
Tuesday, April 12, 2022 – 07:00 PM EDT at Barclays Center
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Brooklyn Nets finished with identical 44-38 records. Brooklyn won the tiebreaker to become the number 7 seed because they were 3-1 head-to-head against Cleveland. The deciding game was last Friday night where the Nets prevailed 118–107. The line for that game closed around what it is today, -8.5.
In that game, the Brooklyn Nets dominated the fourth quarter especially on the defensive end, holding Cleveland to only 19 points. Darius Garland, the Cavaliers All-Star guard, led the team with 31 points in the loss against the Nets. It was rookie Evan Mobley's first game back with a sprained left ankle. Mobley should be much more comfortable in the game tonight.
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Former Brooklyn Nets Caris LeVert will be a big factor in the Cavaliers' success tonight. LeVert will assume the role of secondary playmaker and will lead the team's offense while Darius Garland is on the bench. LeVert is averaging 14 points per game in 30 minutes per game. Caris LeVert will need a big game against his former teammates for the Cavaliers to keep pace tonight.
Veterans Kevin Love and Rajon Rondo have championship experience. Love is a crucial part of the team, averaging 13 points and 7 rebounds in just 22 minutes of play. Love is averaging 39% from the three-point range, the best on the team. Love's ability to keep the team afloat will be key in this game.
As a twist, I would like to see the Cavaliers send Love to the offensive glass and take advantage of the Nets' defensive rebounding deficiency. Kevin Love's versatile skills could be the X factor in tonight's game.
Brooklyn Nets
Despite being in the play-in game tournament, the Brooklyn Nets are the third-highest favorite by NBA odds to win the title at +700. How does a team that is seventh in the standings in their conference earn such respect?
Well, their winning percentage with Kevin Durant in the lineup would be that of a 53 win team. Miami won the Eastern Conference this year with 53 wins. This team has been hampered by injuries and holdouts all season. At full strength, the Nets are one of the scariest opponents in the NBA.
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The Nets are a top-heavy team led by Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. The Brooklyn stars can be counted on to have big performances almost every night, but to be successful they will need performances from crucial role players such as Andre Drummond, Seth Curry, and Bruce Brown.
All three of those players have had big games to close the season as Brooklyn ended on a 4 game winning streak. Andre Drummond provides rim protection and will be a big key for defensive rebounding. Bruce Brown is a versatile defender who can guard anywhere from point guard to power forward.
Seth Curry is a 3-point marksman that will give the other players operating room to work on offense. All three men know their roles and their ability to execute their assigned duties will be crucial to the success of the Nets.
Kyrie Irving vs. Darius Garland
The Cavaliers have one of the biggest lineups in the NBA. With 7-footers Evan Mobley and Lauri Markkanen, the Cavaliers are better equipped than most to deal with Kevin Durant. Kyrie Irving has an excellent match up here against the Cavaliers' defensively deficient backcourt.
Kyrie Irving has a great chance to use his mid-range game and three-point marksmanship to defeat the weak perimeter defense of the Cavaliers. Darius Garland will need to keep pace with the Brooklyn Nets superstar guard if the Cavaliers are going to keep this close. Darius Garland is an explosive scorer in his own right. He can do a great job getting to the rim and getting the Nets into foul trouble.
If Garland can keep pace with Irving, the Cavaliers have a great chance to cover the NBA odds. If Kyrie Irving greatly exceeds the output of Darius Garland, the Nets will most likely win big.
Best Bet
The Cavaliers will cover the NBA odds. Darius Garland is in line to have a big night. The Cleveland Cavaliers can use the tape from the last game to make adjustments. It will be almost like the second game of a playoff series, the losing team has the bigger advantage because they have more mistakes that they can improve upon.
The Cavaliers were in striking range for the first three quarters, they just couldn't close. Tonight gives them a great opportunity to correct those mistakes and push Brooklyn to the limit. Our best bet for tonight's NBA play-in tournament games is the Cleveland Cavaliers +8.5.
NBA Pick: Cleveland Cavaliers +8.5 (-108) at Bookmaker (visit our Bookmaker Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
