Cavs vs. Nets preview and gamethread

The Cavaliers aim to tie a season high winning streak at 15

The Cavaliers are looking to extend their winning streak to 15 with a win over the Nets.

Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (54-10) vs. Brooklyn Nets (22-42)

Where: Rocket Arena, Cleveland, OH

When: 7 pm EST

TV: FanDuel Sports Network, NBA League Pass

Line: Cavs -17.5

Expected Cavs starting lineup: Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen

Cavs injury report: Emoni Bates – OUT (G League), Nae’Qwan Tomlin – OUT (G League), Luke Travers – OUT (G League)

Expected Nets starting lineup: D’Angelo Russell, Keon Johnson, Zhaire Williams, Cam Johnson, Nic Claxton

Nets injury report: NOT YET SUBMITTED

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What to watch for

Finding reasons to win

The Cavaliers are dominant. Plain and simple. The team is a two-way buzz saw tearing through its second stretch of winning 14 or more in a row. While fans get spoiled at this point, pointing out narrow (wins) results against the Blazers, Heat, and Hornets as warning signs of a post-season demise. The Cavaliers themselves have to find reasons to be engaged during the doldrums of the season.

The human element of basketball is something that gets lost in the discourse of talking heads and fans alike. While on the surface it’s easy to say how the Cavaliers should beat the likes of the basement dwellers in the league. It is extremely challenging to show up night to night with the same fire. While the Cavaliers have been sluggish, had poor shooting nights, and looked mentally tapped out of some games recently, the results show that this team is still hungry to walk away with as many wins as possible.

The Cavaliers have proven to the league that they are not satisfied with simply clinching a postseason berth or the league’s best record to date. They’re not even to have players in the MVP, DPOY, Sixth Man, and Coach of the Year conversations. Their goal is to win a title. They’re putting themselves in a position to do that with their problem-solving skills.

The hope is that with this most recent stretch, the Cavaliers have found new ways to win. Take Sunday’s win over the Bucks as an example. Kenny Atkinson relied on a lineup of Darius Garland, Isaac Okoro, Dean Wade, Max Strus, and Jarrett Allen down the stretch. A lineup that has not seen much run and was chosen to be the Giannis stopper in closing time. The Cavaliers, even in close games, don’t stick to their morals and instead decide this is the time to get creative to see what sticks. This approach is something that will pay dividends as April approaches and the stakes significantly ramp up for everyone.