Cavaliers vs. Nets Odds for NBA Play-In: Brooklyn Opens as Significant Home Favorite (Tuesday, April 12)

Cavaliers vs. Nets NBA Play-In Odds

It took all 82 games, but the play-in games in the Eastern Conference are set. The Brooklyn Nets will host the opening game of the tournament at Barclays Center against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday in the No. 7 vs. No. 8 matchup.

The winner of Tuesday's game will get the No. 7 seed in the NBA Playoffs, and the loser will host either the Charlotte Hornets or Atlanta Hawks.

This sets up as an interesting matchup of a top-10 defensive team against a top-10 offensive team. The Cavaliers rank sixth in Defensive Rating (108.9), and the Nets rank 10th in Offensive Rating (113.2), according to NBA Advanced Stats.

The Nets hold a 3-1 lead in the season series and were 2-2 against the spread when facing the Cavaliers. These two teams last played each other on Friday (also at Barclays Center), and the line closed just a point north of where this one opened — Brooklyn pulled away in the fourth to cover the spread.

However, playing at home has not been a particularly advantageous situation for the Nets. They are just 20-21 SU at home and a league-worst 10-31 ATS at Barclays Center this season, per Bet Labs.

On the flip side, the Cavaliers have been average on the road and have really struggled down the stretch, going 2-8 SU and 3-7 ATS away from home since the All-Star break.