The Cleveland Cavaliers are looking for their first win of the season. They’ll have a great opportunity to find it on the road against the Brooklyn Nets.
You can catch the game live on FanDuel Sports Network
using our promo code ‘SBNFALL30’ for a free month of Cavs games!
Who: Cleveland Cavaliers at Brooklyn Nets
Where: Barclay Center – Brooklyn, NY
When: Friday, Oct. 24 at 7:30pm EST
TV: FanDuel Sports Network
Cavs Injury Report: Darius Garland – OUT (toe), Max Strus – OUT (foot), De’Andre Hunter – QUESTIONABLE (knee)
Nets Injury Report: Haywood Highsmith – OUT (knee), Drake Powell – OUT (ankle), Danny Wolf – OUT (ankle)
Watch Cavs games with FanDuel Sports Network free for 30 days
- First 5,000 using the code SBNFALL30 get a free month
- Never miss a Cavaliers game. Stream all season long with FanDuel Sports Network
What to watch for
The Cavs lost their season opener 119-111 to the New York Knicks. Meanwhile, the Nets got swatted 136-117 by the Charlotte Hornets in their opener.
Tyrese Proctor
The Cavs’ rookie has been a pleasant surprise through the preseason and their first game of the regular season. Proctor has looked like a seamless fit in the NBA, as a 6’5” guard who can play without the ball and defend the point of attack.
Kenny Atkinson clearly has faith in the young guard. He played him nearly 20 minutes in the season opener. A chance to get rolling against a Nets team that’s projected to be one of the worst in the league is a valuable opportunity for Proctor. Let’s see if he takes advantage.
Jarrett Allen
No one in Cleveland is happy about that loss to New York. But Allen should feel more frustrated than anyone else. He was a complete no-show in the season opener, only scoring 3 points and collecting 4 rebounds in a game where the Cavs got thrashed on the boards.
Allen is prone to games like that. But he’s also more than capable of bouncing back. The Cavs aren’t in a great position with all of the injuries that are piling up to start the season. They need Allen to step up and be an impactful two-way player. There’s no reason he should struggle to do this in Brooklyn.
Defense, Defense, Defense
It was only the first game of the season, so we are willing to give the Cavs a pass. But the defense in New York was not good enough.
No one looked like they were on the same page. Rotations were a step late. Bad gambles in the passing lane lead to total breakdowns. It was far too easy for the Knicks to get quality shots against a Cleveland defense that hopes to be in the top 5 this season.
The Cavs should be better in this one. Not only have they had a chance to shake off some rust — but again — this Nets team isn’t loaded with talent. This has all the makings of a ‘get right’ game. Now the Cavs have to go out and prove it.
