Cleveland Cavaliers vs Brooklyn Nets Prediction, 2/20/2025 Preview and Pick

Game: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Brooklyn Nets

Date: Thursday, February 20, 2025

Location: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY

TV: YES

The Cleveland Cavaliers (43-10) are hitting the road to Barclays Center on Thursday where they will attempt to defeat the Brooklyn Nets (19-34).

The Cavaliers took the court against the Timberwolves and walked away with a win by a score of 128-107 in their last contest. With respect to fouls, the Cavaliers ended up with 24 while the Timberwolves finished the game with 19 fouls. They buried 12 of 39 tries from distance. Minnesota went 76.7% from the charity stripe by making 23 of 30 attempts. On top of that, Minnesota snagged 41 rebounds (15 offensive, 26 defensive) and got 5 blocks. Minnesota distributed 17 dimes and had 10 steals for the matchup. Concerning the defense, Cleveland allowed their opponent to shoot 40.0% from the field on 36 of 90 shooting. They also dished out 27 assists for this game while forcing 16 turnovers and earning 10 steals. With regard to hauling in rebounds, they compiled 49 with 14 of them being on the offensive end. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Cavaliers converted 15 of their 20 attempts for a rate of 75.0%. Cleveland ended the game having earned a 51.1% field goal percentage (48 of 94) and knocked down 17 out of their 43 shots from 3-point land.

Evan Mobley is a player who played a role in the game. He scored 28 points on 12 out of 19 shooting. He was on the court for 32 minutes and collected 10 rebounds. Mobley went 63.2% from the floor and recorded 6 assists.

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Cleveland will enter this game with a mark of 43-10 for the season. They are giving up possession 13.1 times per contest and as a team are committing 18.5 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Cleveland is collecting 44.7 boards per contest and has accounted for 1,540 dimes so far this season, which has them ranked 6th in the NBA in terms of passing. The Cavaliers are connecting on 39.5% on shots from downtown (858 of 2,174) and 78.7% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 122.5 pts per game (2nd in the league) while going 49.8% from the floor.

On defense, the Cavaliers are forcing their opponents into 14.7 turnovers per game and they draw 18.5 personal fouls. They give up 36.3% on shots from beyond the arc while they are 13th in the league in PPG allowed (112.0). The Cavaliers defense is allowing a FG percentage of 45.5% (2,176 of 4,779) and they relinquish 43.5 boards per contest as a unit. They are currently ranked 8th in basketball in giving up assists with 1,349 surrendered this year.

The last time they took the hardwood, the Nets went home victorious with a score of 97-89 against the Hornets. In the matter of rebounding, Brooklyn permitted Charlotte to get 40 in total (11 offensive). They finished 19.4% from 3-point land by shooting 6 of 31 and finished the contest at 19 of 28 at the charity stripe (67.9%). The Nets permitted the Hornets to knock down 32 of 78 tries from the floor which had them shooting 41.0% in the game. In all, the Nets went 37 out of 93 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 39.8%. When talking about shooting from beyond the arc, Brooklyn made 10 out of 42 tries (23.8%). They were able to make 13 of them for a rate of 92.9%. The Hornets were called for 10 personal fouls for the contest which got the Nets to the charity stripe for 14 attempts. They also turned the ball over 17 times, while earning 10 steals for this contest. The Nets collected 28 defensive rebounds and 19 offensive boards for a total of 47 in this game.

Nic Claxton ended up having an impact for the Nets for the matchup. Claxton earned 16 points in his 24 mins on the hardwood and had 1 assist in the matchup. He converted 8 of 13 in this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 61.5%, and tallied 4 rebounds.

Brooklyn has a win-loss record of 19-34 for the campaign. On the offensive side of the court, the Nets are hitting on 44.0% from the floor, which is ranked 27th in the NBA. Brooklyn has tallied 5,571 points for the campaign (105.1 per game) and they grab 40.9 boards per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 24.7 times per game (24th in the league) and they cough up possession 15.4 times per game. The Nets have committed 20.4 fouls per game and they connect on 79.5% from the charity stripe.

The Nets on the defensive side of the court are 9th in the NBA in PPG allowed with 111.3. They have forced 15.1 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 47.9% from the floor (28th in basketball). The Brooklyn defense concedes 37.2% on 3-pointers (704 of 1,894) and their opponents are connecting on 77.1% of their shots from the free throw line. They allow 26.8 dimes and 42.8 boards per contest, which ranks 21st and 8th in the NBA.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Cleveland

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