Play-in Preview: Three things to look for in Cavaliers vs. Nets

Neither the Brooklyn Nets nor Cleveland Cavaliers expected to be here.

The Nets were the talent-rich preseason title favorites who expected to be a top seed in the East and have this week off. The young Cavaliers expected to be focused on ping-pong balls at the end of the season, a young squad with some talent but not one where fans anticipated a postseason appearance.

Cleveland will travel to Brooklyn for the 7/8 play-in game in the East tonight (Tuesday). The winner will enter the playoffs as the No. 7 seed and take on the Boston Celtics. The loser moves on to host the second play-in game Friday against the winner of the Hornets at Hawks game.

Here are three things to look for tonight.

When these teams met last Friday night in a game with meaning — which team would host this game was one potential impact — Durant had 36 points on 11-of-20 shooting, and it felt like he could have had more if he wanted it. Durant was killing them from the midrange. The Cavaliers did not have a good matchup for him.

Lauri Markkanen got a chance because he has the size and some good mobility, but he’s not exactly an elite defender, and after that it’s the rookie Evan Mobley or Caris LeVert or other guys not up to the task. Durant running a two-man game with a shooter such as Kyrie Irving or Seth Curry created even larger matchup issues for the Cavaliers.

Durant is one of the five best pure scorers ever to play the game. Nobody has an answer to stop him, but some teams — Miami, Boston — have the personnel to make him work for it. Cleveland doesn’t, and if Durant has another big game the Cavaliers are in dire straights.

Tied into the Cavaliers’ defensive woes, center Jarrett Allen is out for this game, still not recovered enough from a