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December 20, 2006
Cavaliers battle Nets
King James and company head to New Jersey
Two of the premier teams in the NBA’s East Conference meet on Wednesday night in New Jersey when the Cleveland Cavaliers hit the road to face the Nets. Both teams were expected to challenge for their respective division titles but just one is living up to those expectations so far.
The Cavs currently sit in second place in the Central division at 14-9, one game back of the leading Pistons. And while it’s very clear how awful the Atlantic division is, New Jersey has been nowhere near the top. All five teams have records below .500, the Nets among them at 10-14.
New Jersey comes into this game off a Monday night home win over Golden State. The Nets are just 7-8 at home, however Cleveland has fared even worse on the road with a 3-7 mark.
The Cavaliers have won the last two games against New Jersey but they are still just 1-10 ATS in the last 11 meetings with the Nets. Prior to those two victories Cleveland had not beaten New Jersey since December of 2004, a span of five games.
Both teams have failed to find consistency in this young season. The Nets are 5-5 in their last 10 and Cleveland is one game better, having won six of their last 10 games.
One of the struggles for New Jersey has been staying healthy, and primarily keeping starting small forward Richard Jefferson on the court. He had been sidelined the last several weeks with an ankle injury but is now back and performing well.
Everyone knows the Cavs start and end with LeBron James. He is having another typical superstar season, scoring 26 points, seven rebounds and seven assists per game, but it is his supporting cast that has stepped up and become a main reason for the team’s overall success. Starters Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden and Zydrunas Ilguaskas are all averaging at least 10 points, while Damon Jones, Donyell Marshall and Anderson Varejao have combined to average a combined 25 points a night as reserves.
Both teams share similar records against the number this season. The Cavs are 9-14 ATS while New Jersey shares the same mark along with one push. The game can be seen at 8 p.m. EST on ESPN. Check BetJamaica for the latest odds.
25043 - Copyright 2006, BetJamaica.com, The Player's Paradise
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