The Cleveland Cavaliers are at home on Thursday night as they host the Brooklyn Nets in an Eastern Conference showdown.
Cleveland enters Thursday’s game with a 34-21 record after defeating the Washington Wizards last Wednesday in their final game before the All-Star break.
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In Wednesday’s victory over the Wizards, Donovan Mitchell led the way for the Cavaliers as he recorded 30 points, three rebounds and five assists while Sam Merrill added 32 points and five rebounds of his own.
Now Cleveland will try to grab another victory at home on Thursday night as they face off against a struggling Nets team.
On the other side, Brooklyn enters Thursday’s contest with a 15-38 record after losing at home to the Indiana Pacers last Wednesday in their final matchup before the All-Star break.
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Day’Ron Sharpe led the way for the Nets in Wednesday’s loss as he ended the game with 19 points, 12 rebounds and five assists while Nolan Traore recorded 20 points and eight assists.
While both teams are looking to pick up a victory in Thursday night’s matchup, both squads may be without multiple key players due to injuries.
Nets Injury Report: Will Michael Porter Jr., Nic Claxton Play?
For the Nets, they have only one player listed on their injury report as they have ruled out center Nic Claxton.
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Brooklyn has ruled out Claxton due to a right ankle sprain as he will miss his second consecutive contest after missing their last game against the Pacers.
With Claxton sidelined once again, Sharpe and Danny Wolf could both be in line for increased roles.
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The good news for the Nets is that Michael Porter Jr. is off their injury report and will return after missing the last two games due to right knee tendinitis while Noah Clowney will also return after missing their last game with a left ankle injury.
Cavaliers Injury Report: Will Evan Mobley Play?
On the other side, the Cavaliers have two players listed on their injury report as they have ruled out both Nae’Qwan Tomlin and Max Strus.
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Cleveland has ruled out Tomlin due to left calf soreness as he will miss his first game since December 27.
With Tomlin sidelined, Jaylon Tyson and Merrill could both be in line for increased roles against the Nets.
The Cavaliers have also ruled out Strus as he remains sidelined while recovering from offseason foot surgery.
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The good news for the Cavaliers is that Evan Mobley is off their injury report after being sidelined since January 28 due to a calf strain while Dean Wade will return from a three-game absence due to an ankle injury.
Fans can catch Thursday night’s matchup between the Nets and Cavaliers from Cleveland at 7:00 p.m. EST.