Brooklyn Nets at Cleveland Cavaliers 1/17/22 - NBA Picks & Predictions

Last Updated: 01/17/2022 at 9:39 AM ET

Brooklyn Nets at Cleveland Cavaliers 1/17/22 - NBA Picks & Predictions

In Monday afternoon NBA action, the Brooklyn Nets will travel to Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse to battle the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Nets (27-15) have won 15 of their first 19 road games and trail Chicago by a half-game for the best overall record in the Eastern Conference. On Saturday, Brooklyn outscored New Orleans by 18 points during the second quarter and coasted to a 120-105 home victory.

Brooklyn G James Harden led all scorers with 27 points to go along with 15 assists and eight rebounds. Patty Mills chipped in 21 points and three assists for the Nets.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are riding a four-game winning streak and are tied with Philadelphia for fifth place in the East. On Saturday, Cleveland outscored Oklahoma by 15 points during the second half to rally for a 107-102 road victory. The Cavaliers (26-18) assisted on 28 of their 40 made field goals and shot 46 percent overall. 

Cleveland G Darius Garland tallied a game-high 27 points on 11-for-20 shooting and dished out a career-high 18 assists. Jarrett Allen contributed 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Cavaliers.

Brooklyn F Kevin Durant has been diagnosed with a sprained MCL in his knee and will miss the next 4-6 weeks. These two teams rank in the top ten of the league in defensive efficiency, so the under is my lean on the total. The stronger play is on Cleveland to cover at home. Final Score Prediction, Cleveland Cavaliers win 114-104.