Accor Arena hosts an NBA matchup in Paris on Thursday. The Brooklyn Nets take on the Cleveland Cavaliers in the third-ever regular season game in Paris. It is a rematch of the regular season opener, which the Cavaliers won by a one-point margin. Cleveland is 21-15 overall this season, while Brooklyn is now 16-21 after six losses in the last seven games. Darius Garland (jaw), Evan Mobley (knee), and Ty Jerome (ankle) are out for Cleveland, with Ben Simmons (back), and Day’Ron Sharpe (knee) ruled out for Brooklyn.
Tip-off is at 2 p.m. ET in Paris. For this game, SportsLine consensus lists the Cavaliers as 3-point favorites, while the over/under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 224.5 in the latest Nets vs. Cavaliers odds. Before you make any Cavaliers vs. Nets picks, you need to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s advanced computer simulation 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 five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 12 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 112-62 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning well over $4,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Nets vs. Cavaliers and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Nets vs. Cavaliers:
Nets vs. Cavaliers spread: Cavaliers -3
Nets vs. Cavaliers over/under: 224.5 points
Nets vs. Cavaliers money line: Cavaliers -153, Nets +129
BKN: The Nets are 19-17-1 against the spread this season
CLE: The Cavaliers are 17-17-2 against the spread this season
Nets vs. Cavaliers picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Nets can cover
Brooklyn leans heavily on the two-way ability of Mikal Bridges. The versatile wing is averaging 21.2 points per game this season, leading the Nets, and he is coming off a 42-point explosion on 15-26 shooting in the team’s last game against Portland. Bridges is also a tremendous wing defender, boosting the team on both ends. Offensively, the Nets are very strong on the glass, securing 31.4% of available rebounds and averaging 15.5 second-chance points per game. Brooklyn is also in the top eight of the NBA in turnover avoidance, committing only 12.7 giveaways per game, and the Nets are also making 13.7 3-points per contest. Cleveland is strongly below-average in free throw prevention (23.6 attempts allowed per game) and blocked shots on defense (4.5 per game), with the Cavaliers also battling impactful injuries.
On the other side, Brooklyn maintains top-eight marks in points allowed in the paint (46.2 per game), opponent 2-point percentage (52.6%, and free throw prevention (21.6 attempts per game). The Nets can also benefit from the Cavaliers ranking in the bottom five of the NBA in free throw attempts (20.7 per game) and shooting only 76.5% at the line when they get there. See which team to pick here.
Why the Cavaliers can cover
Cleveland projects to have the most dynamic offensive player on the court in this matchup with Donovan Mitchell. The veteran guard is averaging 27.2 points, 5.7 assists, and 5.3 rebounds per game this season, scoring at least 20 points in 25 of his 27 games. Mitchell also headlines an offense that is firmly in the top 10 of the league in 2-point shooting (56.0%), and Cleveland attacks the offensive glass with top-10 marks in offensive rebound rate (30.1%) and second-chance points (15.8 per game). The Cavaliers are also facing a very conservative Nets defense that is dead-last in turnovers created (11.8 per game) and second-worst in steals (6.5 per game) this season.
On the other side of the floor, the Cavaliers are giving up fewer than 1.13 points per possession, ranking in the top quartile of the league. Cleveland is also in the top 10 of the league in steals, points allowed in the paint, opponent 3-point percentage, opponent 2-point percentage, opponent field goal percentage, and assists allowed. See which team to pick here.
How to make Nets vs. Cavaliers picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning Over on the point total, with eight players projected to score at least 13 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in well over 60% of simulations. You can only see the model’s pick at SportsLine.