Cleveland at Brooklyn

The NBA Play-In round will feature the Cleveland Cavs at Brooklyn. Brooklyn spent a lot of the season at less than full strength. Cleveland limped through the late season and closed out the year going an ugly 3-8. I expect that this game will go through a feeling-out process early with some defensive intensity. I think there are some nerves involved, as well. I would look for the first-half scoring to reflect this against a very sizeable first-half total. I think in the second half, things are going to open up, and Brooklyn loves to play fast and get up as many shots as possible. Cleveland has allowed 115 points per game in their last 11, and Brooklyn is the ultimate fast-track offense. There are likely to be clock freezing free throws late here, which will further enhance scoring. Brooklyn has put up 92 or more shots in five of their last eight games, and I expect we are going to see a lot of that unfold in the second half. Make the play on the First-Half UNDER, and also play the full game OVER.