Nets vs Cavaliers Odds and Picks

• The Brooklyn Nets and Cleveland Cavaliers matchup on Monday, November, 22nd
• Brooklyn is tied with the Chicago Bulls for the best record in the Eastern Conference
• Read below for the latest Nets vs Cavaliers odds, injury news and a pick

The 12-5 Brooklyn Nets face the 9-8 Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, November, 22nd. Jarrett Allen goes head-to-head with his former team as Cleveland looks to bring an end to a three-game losing streak, while the Nets aim to keep pace with the Chicago Bulls at the top of the Eastern Conference.

Brooklyn is laying 7.5 points as favorites at FanDuel – they have just a 7-8-1 ATS record when favored this season. Of teams to be an underdog more than five times, Cleveland has covered at a better rate than anyone else. The Cavs are 9-5-1 ATS as dogs this year, a marked improvement on 23-40-1 in such matchups last season.

Nets vs Cavaliers Odds

Odds as of Nov 22 at FanDuel

Injury News

Kevin Durant will play on Monday despite sitting out the win over Orlando with a shoulder issue. Steve Nash remains without Joe Harris (ankle), however, while Bruce Brown and Nic Claxton (illness) remain sidelined.

Kyrie Irving, of course, is out for the foreseeable future. With no Brown or Harris, Patty Mills and DeAndre’ Bembry are in line for big minutes, while Jevon Carter and Cameron Thomas will likely contribute from the bench.

J.B. Bickerstaff said that both Lauri Markkanen and Jarrett Allen were able to practice today.

"They’re progressing," Bickerstaff said of those two. "It’s always how you recover the next day and how you respond. My expectations are that they’ll play Monday, but you never know."

— Kelsey Russo (@kelseyyrusso) November 20, 2021

Jarrett Allen and Lauri Markkanen are expected to return for Cleveland. Lamar Stevens (ankle) is out, though, while Cedi Osman is listed as day-to-day. Collin Sexton is likely sidelined for the year, and Evan Mobley (elbow) is unavailable for several weeks. Allen and Markkanen will start together in the frontcourt if available with Isaac Okoro in line to play the three with Ricky Rubio accompanying Darius Garland in the backcourt.

Coping Without Mobley

Markkanen has played surprisingly well at the three this year. Allen has been a force in the paint at both ends of the floor. The three-big lineups were more effective than they looked like they should be on paper, but much of that can be attributed to the play of Mobley. The third overall pick has had an immediate impact on winning.

Jarrett Allen gave Luka Garza his welcome to the league moment 😨 pic.twitter.com/rpDkrBBtJt

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 13, 2021

Cleveland has a 112.2 defensive rating in non-Mobley minutes. That would be the third-worst in the NBA. It’s 102.6 in Mobley’s minutes, which would rank third-best of all teams. The offensive numbers are almost identical with Mobley on or off the court, but there is real concern about the defense,

The heavy losses to Brooklyn and Golden State in their last two were unsurprising given the players that were missing. Cleveland’s offense mustered just 188 points across the two contests with many of their starters playing huge minutes.

Evan Mobley (218) passed Anthony Bennett (217) on the Cavs all-time scoring list tonight.

— Scoops (@ejmaroun) November 14, 2021

The Cavs have played just 38 minutes with Markkanen and Allen without Mobley. This game is a step into the unknown for J.B. Bickerstaff as he looks to craft his rotations in the absence of two starters.

Nets to Cover

Brooklyn has made hard work of some supposedly routine wins already this season. Narrowly beating the Magic doesn’t exactly inspire confidence from bettors, but Durant’s return to cannot be overstated.

"Kevin Durant, I'm sad for you bro. … You have no help. And more importantly than anything else, you made the wrong decision by going to Brooklyn. … KYRIE IRVING BETRAYED YOU!"@stephenasmith LOST IT 😳😳 pic.twitter.com/gjw5tAZVcO

— First Take (@FirstTake) November 17, 2021

The Nets’ record against the spread isn’t going to put us off – the 7.5 line should be an easy cover for them here. Five of their last six wins have been by at least eight points.

While Cleveland is still playing hard, they are not the same without Mobley and, to a lesser degree, Sexton. Mobley elevates them on defense, and brings extra layers to their offense. Sexton’s off-the-dribble scoring provides necessary punch to keep pace with teams like the Nets.

• Pick: Nets -7.5 (-110)