Cavs at Nets preview and gamethread
The Cavaliers will need to have a better showing than their last outing if they want to come away with a win in Brooklyn.
The Cavs will look to rediscover some form as they travel to New York.
Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (22-4) at Brooklyn Nets (10-15)
Where: Barclays Center - Brooklyn, New York
When: 7:30 p.m., Monday Dec. 16
TV: Fanduel Sports Network Ohio (previously Bally Sports), NBA League Pass
Line: Not yet set
Expected Cavs starting lineup: Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Isaac Okoro, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen.
Cavs injury report: Max Strus - OUT (ankle), Evan Mobley - PROBABLE (ankle), Jaylon Tyson - OUT (illness), Craig Porter Jr. - QUESTIONABLE (ankle), Emoni Bates - OUT (G League), Luke Travers - OUT (G League)
Expected Nets starting lineup: Ben Simmons, Keon Johnson, Cameron Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Nic Claxton
Nets injury report: Bojan Bogdanovic - OUT (foot), Cam Thomas - OUT (hamstring), Reece Beekman - OUT (trade pending), Jaylen Martin - OUT (G League), Tyrese Martin - QUESTIONABLE (G League), De’Anthony Melton - OUT (trade pending), Dariq Whitehead - OUT (G League), Zaire Williams - OUT (knee)
What to watch for
How do the Nets respond to their first trade?
The Nets aren’t a good team, but they’ve been competitive nearly every night. Their mix of solid role-players and effort level have made them a tough out no matter who they’re going against. But, the inevitable midseason trades to continue their rebuild have started. Dennis Schroder has been sent out and others will likely follow soon.
It can be more difficult to buy into a vision when you know you’re likely to be playing elsewhere soon. Johnson and Finney-Smith could be the next to go and have both been linked to the Cavs in the past. Those rumors will only continue to increase. We’ll see if the Nets can continue their brand of basketball during this transition period.
Rediscovering form
The Cavs haven’t been bad in their last handful of games, but they also haven’t been the world beaters they were at the start of the season. Their win against the Washington Wizards shows this perfectly. They did enough to get the result they wanted, but the defense wasn’t great and the offense struggled to knock down the clean looks they were generating.
We’re in a weird stretch of the season. The Cavs only played one game last week and don’t play again until Friday. Maybe that has led to some of the inconsistent form that we’ve seen. Either way, this is an opportunity to clean that up.
Can Jarret Allen repeat his strong performance from Friday?
Allen hasn’t looked like himself over the last month. His 21 points against the Wizards was the first time he’s eclipsed the 20-point threshold in a game since Nov. 24. In the interim, Allen has looked lost offensively and wasn’t consistently asserting himself on either end. You simply can’t have that from a nonshooting center whose entire value comes from being forceful on both ends of the floor.
The Wizards were the perfect opportunity for a bounce-back game. They are the worst team and don’t have a strong frontcourt. Allen will have a considerably tougher time against Nic Claxton than he did against Alex Sar.
Allen hasn’t consistently played like a core member of this team for the better part of a month. His play doesn’t determine this team’s ceiling, but his consistency has provided a reliable floor. It’s not a coincidence that some of the Cavs' most inconsistent games this season have come when Allen hasn’t looked like himself.