Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers came up short in their season-opening loss to the New York Knicks, but they are double-digit favorites on Friday against the Brooklyn Nets.
The Cavs were down three key rotation players in Darius Garland, Max Strus and De’Andre Hunter on Wednesday, but they’ll have a chance to get back on track against a Brooklyn team that is widely expected to be one of the worst in the NBA.
The Nets dropped their season opener to the Charlotte Hornets, giving up 136 points while no player on Brooklyn finished with 20-plus points. Rookies Ben Saraf and Egor Demin played big roles for a Brooklyn team that is likely lottery bound in the 2025-26 season.
The Cavs are widely expected to be one of the best teams in the East, and they should win this game even if they remain shorthanded on Friday night.
Here’s a look at the odds, my favorite player prop and a prediction for this Eastern Conference battle.
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Spread
Moneyline
Total
Cavs Injury Report
Nets Injury Report
Cavs Best NBA Prop Bet
Note: These player prop suggestions were written before prop lines were released and are based on past player performance.
With the Cavs down multiple rotation players, including star guard Darius Garland, Mitchell took 25 shots against the Knicks and finished with 31 points. He should be in line for a similar workload until Garland returns, and he’s facing one of the worst defenses in the NBA in the Nets, who allowed nine players to score 10 or more points in a loss to Charlotte.
Mitchell is a great bet to score when he’s the primary ball-handler on offense, as he’s averaging 29.6 points, 6.8 assists and 4.7 rebounds in 33 games without Garland in his Cavs career.
The Nets defense was torched on Wednesday night by Charlotte, and it has an even tougher test on Friday against a Cavaliers team that was one of the top offenses in the league in the 2024-25 season.
Cleveland scored 111 points in its season opener against the Knicks, but offense should be much easier to come by against a Brooklyn team that is playing a ton of young players and questionable defensive players on its roster.
Cleveland averaged 121.9 points per game in the 2024-25 season, and even with the team down a few starts, I think it’s worth betting on Cleveland to reach 120 points on Friday.
I don’t love laying double digits with a team that is so banged up, but this game could turn into a shootout considering Brooklyn and Charlotte played at the fifth-fastest pace in the NBA of any teams on Wednesday night.
Pick: Cavs Team Total OVER 119.5 (-134 at DraftKings)
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Find Peter Dewey’s NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.
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