Bettors Split on Tonights Meeting Between The Cavs and The Nets
Team Page: Cleveland :: New Jersey
51% of Bets Placed on Cavs +2 | Matchup | NBA Picks
The Cleveland Cavaliers may have one of the best records in the Eastern Conference, but they haven’t been playing well on the road.
The Cavs look to avoid their fourth straight loss away from home when they visit the New Jersey Nets on Wednesday.
Oddsmakers have made New Jersey -2 point spread favorites (NBA Odds) for todays game, the over/under has been set at 186 total points (View NBA Sports Books).
Cleveland (14-9) has the third-best record in the East thanks to an 11-2 home record, but has been unable to carry that strong play to the road. The Cavs are just 3-7 away from Quicken Loans Arena, including losses in six of their last seven contests.
“It’s still a little early for me to just say ‘Hey, we can’t win on the road’. But it is something we have to focus on and make sure we’re prepared when we go on the road,” Cavs coach Mike Brown said.
Cleveland lost its third straight road game Saturday, 81-74 to Orlando. The Cavs led by 11 after one quarter, but hit only three of 16 shots in the second and just 18-of-57 (31.6 percent) in the final three quarters.
They’re averaging just 75.3 points and shooting 35.9 percent during the three-game road skid.
“I think we kind of press too much (on the road) whereas at home we just play,” LeBron James said. “On the road we just press too hard and try not to make a mistake. We have to go out and let loose. Once we figure that out we will be fine.”
James led Cleveland with 29 points against the Magic, but is averaging only 21.7 points and shooting 40.7 percent in the last three road games.
The Cavs split their four meetings with the Nets (10-14) last season, and their 108-102 victory on April 8 snapped an eight-game losing streak at Continental Airlines Arena.
James had 37 points in that win, and averaged 31.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists against the Nets last season.
New Jersey beat Golden State 105-97 on Monday, just its fifth win in the last 16 games. The Nets trailed 84-78 after three quarters, but held the Warriors to 13 points in the final period.
“I think we paid attention. There weren’t any mental breakdowns,” Jason Kidd said of the defensive effort. “Every one helped. There was talk. We need that in the fourth quarter.”
Kidd finished with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists for his 81st career triple-double and sixth of the season. He has four triple-doubles in his last seven games, averaging 14.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 9.9 assists in that span.
Vince Carter had just 11 points and shot 3-for-10 Monday, and is averaging 11.7 points and making just 25.0 percent of his shots in the last three games. Carter averaged 30.3 points and shot 48.2 percent against the Cavs last season.
The Nets, in a stretch of playing 10 of 11 games at Continental Airlines Arena, have won three of their last four there.
By: Marc Young – theSpread.com – Email Us
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