The Brooklyn Nets (19-51) will have their chance to beat the Eastern Conference’s best team when they take on the Cleveland Cavaliers (51-20) at the Barclays Center. The game gets underway at 7:30 pm ET on Thursday, Mar. 24 and will air on YES and FxO.
The Nets lost to the Hornets 105-100 on Tuesday. Brook Lopez finished with 29 points to lead the game. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are coming off a 113-104 win over the Bucks on Wednesday. LeBron James shot 9-for-22 and led in scoring with 26 points.
Over the last five games, Bojan Bogdanovic and Thaddeus Young have played at a high level for the Nets. During that stretch, Bogdanovic has averaged 24.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 3.0 three-pointers. Not to be outdone, Young has put up 16.2 points, 11.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.4 blocks.
The high-octane offense of the Cavaliers (fourth in the league with an offensive efficiency of 108.9) will try to exploit the poor defense of the Nets (29th in the NBA with a defensive efficiency of 108.3), a matchup that should be advantageous to Cleveland.
The Cavaliers have won both matchups against the Nets this season, including a 91-78 victory in their last matchup. Tristan Thompson played a huge role in the victory by recording a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Notes
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Cleveland Cavaliers are an outstanding 28-9. In games where they score fewer than 100 points, the Brooklyn Nets have an abysmal record of 4-34.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have a winning 23-11 record when their opponents score 100 points or more this season. The Brooklyn Nets are 15-17 when they hit the century mark.
Ranked fourth, the Cavaliers have an offensive rating of 108.9. The Nets, on the other hand, rank 29th with a defensive rating of 108.3.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking ninth in the league with a FG% of 46.1%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the Brooklyn Nets have a subpar 7-37 record.
The Brooklyn Nets rank higher for their field goal percentage (12th) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (19th). The Cleveland Cavaliers rank higher for their effective field goal percentage (third) than they do for their field goal percentage (ninth).
On average, the Cleveland Cavaliers make 22.5 assists per game and the Brooklyn Nets make 22.1. Cleveland is ranked 13th, while Brooklyn is ranked 16th.
The Brooklyn Nets average 4.0 blocks per game for a rank of 25th. The Cleveland Cavaliers rank lower (28th), earning 3.7 blocks each game.
The Brooklyn Nets rank 20th in offensive rebounding, while the Cleveland Cavaliers rank 12th in defensive rebounding.
The Brooklyn Nets make an average of 7.4 steals per game. When the Cleveland Cavaliers allow 7 or more steals, they are a dazzling 30-10.
