After a disappointing start to the 2025-26 season didn’t quite match the expectations that they’d set with a 64-18 2024-25 campaign, the Cleveland Cavaliers decided that they weren’t a championship-level team as currently constructed. So they made two big splashes at the trade deadline, sending De’Andre Hunter to the Sacramento Kings for Dennis Schröder and Keon Ellis and shipping Darius Garland to the LA Clippers for James Harden.
For Cleveland, the second half of the season will be about continuing to integrate its new pieces in the hopes of getting them ready for a potential playoff run through a wide-open East. That second half of the season will begin tonight, when the Cavaliers host the Brooklyn Nets at 7 p.m. ET.
Both teams should be reasonably healthy, as Brooklyn’s Nic Claxton (ankle) is the only player in either team’s regular rotation on the injury report for tonight’s contest.
Cleveland is a 16.5-point favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook (-1200 on the Moneyline), with the point total set to 229.5. The Nets are +750 on the Moneyline. Below, I’ll break down this intra-conference clash and offer a prediction.
Brooklyn Nets at Cleveland Cavaliers preview, prediction
Perhaps surprisingly, Brooklyn held on to Michael Porter Jr. at the trade deadline, opting instead to cut Cam Thomas and continue building around the 27-year-old wing, who’s averaged 25.0 points per game while shooting 38.5% from beyond the arc. Especially without Claxton, though, the Nets don’t really have many pieces surrounding him, as of their five first-round picks in 2025, only point guard Egor Dëmin, a supersized, sweet-shooting point guard, has really panned out. Brooklyn will be hoping to pair Dëmin and Porter with AJ Dybantsa or Darryn Peterson come June’s NBA Draft.
Meanwhile, the James Harden Cavaliers era is off to a strong start. The Beard has averaged 19.3 points and 8.7 assists per game on 42.1% shooting from beyond the arc in his three games with the franchise, and they have won all three, including a two-point win against the Denver Nuggets. Between Harden and Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland still has two offense-first guards, but at least Harden is bigger and a better playmaker than Garland. Plus, the Cavaliers are expected to welcome back 2024-25 Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley after he’s missed the last seven games with a calf strain.
Nets at Cavaliers pick, best bet
Cleveland has quietly recaptured some of its 2024-25 form since the start of 2026, tying for the league’s best record at 15-5 across that span. Just as they did last season, the Cavaliers have won through elite offense and defense that has been just good enough to stay afloat, as they’ve been the most efficient offensive team on a per-100 possessions basis. Their defense should improve somewhat with Mobley back; though he hasn’t had a noticeable on-off difference this season, his composite defensive metrics are actually better than they were last season.
With Mobley back to man the middle, Cleveland should be able to improve on a defense that has already allowed the second-lowest field goal percentage within the restricted area this season. Mobley shouldn’t be tested too much tonight either way: the Nets haven’t been great at creating shots at the rim and now won’t have a premier lob threat in Claxton. The Cavaliers have also been the league’s sixth-best finishing team in 2026, which could help them take advantage of a team that has been somewhat stingy at the rim but has allowed among the most attempts.
Without Claxton, Brooklyn could have more of a chance of hanging with Cleveland on the glass. The Nets haven’t been great on the boards overall, ranking ninth-to-last in rebounding percentage, but in 1,096 minutes with their center off the floor, their rebounding percentage has actually risen by 4.3 percentage points. The Cavaliers should still have an advantage because Mobley is a good rebounder, but it could be slight. Where Cleveland will have a massive edge is in transition on both ends of the floor, since it has been far cleaner with the ball and far better at forcing giveaways. Both teams’ foul differentials are basically zero.
To be fair, the Cavaliers could give the Nets an opportunity to get back in the game through their shooting, as they’ve given up an above-average number of wide-open threes, including the third-most in the league since the start of 2026, and Brooklyn has actually given up among the fewest uncontested triples in the league. On the other side of the ball, Cleveland has produced three more wide-open looks per game and been far more accurate, and it should have the overall shooting edge, but Dëmin and Porter are solid shooters that can make any lackadaisical defense pay.
At the end of the day, the Cavaliers’ offense should be able to get enough going against the Nets’ 26th-ranked defense to get the win, especially with Mobley back to help lock down the middle. However, 15.5 points is an aggressive spread, especially with Porter playing, and a 1,000-minute sample of Brooklyn being better on the boards without Claxton isn’t entirely insignificant. I’ll take the Nets to cover the spread.
