Cavaliers vs. Nets NBA expert prediction and odds for Thursday, Feb. 8 (Keep betting Cleveland)
Betting odds, pick and prediction for the Cleveland Cavaliers' matchup with the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night.
By Peter Dewey
The Cleveland Cavaliers are on the road for the second night of a back-to-back against the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night.
These teams have been rumored to be active at the trade deadline, with the Cavs even checking in on the Nets’ wing trio of Lonnie Walker IV, Royce O’Neale, and Dorian Finney-Smith.
With Brooklyn sitting in the No. 11 seed, it would be surprising to see the team stand pat at the deadline. Could that swing this game in Cleveland’s favor?
This is the second night of a back-to-back for the Cavs, as they won – but did not cover – in Washington on Wednesday night.
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Let’s break down the latest odds and my best bet for this game:
Cavaliers vs. Nets odds, spread and total
Cavaliers vs. Nets how to watch
- Date: Thursday, Feb. 8
- Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
- Venue: Barclays Center
- How to watch (TV): YES Network, Bally Sports Ohio
- Cavs record: 33-16
- Nets record: 20-30
Cavaliers vs. Nets injury reports
Cavs injury report
- Not submitted yet
Nets injury report
- Dorian Finney-Smith – out
- Day’Ron Sharpe – out
- Lonnie Walker IV – out
- Keon Johnson – out
- Cameron Johnson – out
- Dariq Whitehead – out
Cavaliers vs. Nets key players to watch
Cleveland Cavaliers
Donovan Mitchell: The last time these teams played, Mitchell torched Brooklyn for 45 points on 15-of-30 shooting from the field. The All-Star guard is coming off another 40-point game last night and has pushed his season average to 28.5 points per game in the process.
Brooklyn Nets
Mikal Bridges: Bridges seems to be the one Net who is guaranteed to be on the team through the trade deadline. The prized piece of the Kevin Durant trade last season, Bridges is averaging 21.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game this season.
Cavaliers vs. Nets prediction and pick
I’m not sold on the Nets in this game, especially if the team trades some of its depth at the deadline.
Brooklyn is just 6-8-2 against the spread as a home underdog this season, and the Cavs enter this game as the hottest team in the NBA, ranking No. 1 in net rating over their last 10 games.
Cleveland has also won seven in a row.
While the Cavs failed to cover on Wednesday, the team is still a respectable 5-5-1 ATS as a road favorite, winning nine of those 11 games outright.
Brooklyn comes into this game 20th in net rating and 17th in defensive rating, and it’s expected to hang within six points of the No. 2 defense in the league. If the Cavs play Evan Mobley or Darius Garland on the second night of a B2B, I think they roll.
Pick: Cavs -6 (-110)
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.
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