Brooklyn Nets vs Cleveland Cavaliers Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 07/04/2022, 21:13  by Joseph King | Modified on 08/04/2022 at 04:14 in NBA Predictions

A massively important game for both teams that could decide the final two playoff positions takes place in the NBA Eastern Conference when the Brooklyn Nets host the Cleveland Cavaliers. As things currently stand, Cleveland holds the seventh seed with a record of 43-37 while Brooklyn trails by only one game and sit in the eighth seed with a record of 42-38. There are just two games remaining in the regular season meaning that the result from this match will have a big impact on the play-in tournament. The way that the play-in tournament works is the seventh and eighth seed will play one final game after the season ends with the winner given the seventh seed and automatic qualification to the playoffs. The loser of that game will then have to play the winner of a game between the ninth and tenth seed to determine the eighth, and final, playoff participant. A win here could see the Nets move up to the seventh seed as they would have an identical record to the Cavs but lead the season series giving them the tiebreaker advantage.

This is arguably the biggest game of the season so far for both of these teams. Cleveland have surprised many with their play this season as the Cavs were not expected to make the playoffs. Brooklyn has clearly underperformed but many oddsmakers still list the Nets as among the favorites to make it out of the East and win the title. The Nets have undergone a strange season, dealing with continuous injuries and having one of their star players in Kyrie Irving miss half the season before he was finally given permission to play in home games. Brooklyn, at last being relatively healthy, have put in some solid performances lately with their most recent a morale lifting 21 point comeback against city rivals the Knicks. Cleveland, on the other hand, have struggled in the second half of the season and are only 8-14 since the All-Star break. They’re coming off a bad 120-115 loss to the last place Orlando Magic and have now lost seven of their last 10 games.