Cleveland Cavaliers vs Brooklyn Nets: Injury Report, Predicted Lineups and Starting 5s - November 17th, 2021 | NBA Season 2021-22
The Cleveland Cavaliers go on the road to face the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center on Wednesday. The Cavaliers are coming off two home games against the Boston Celtics, while the Nets were blown out by the league-leading Golden State Warriors on Tuesday.
The Cavaliers went 1-1 against the Celtics at home with the loss happening last Monday. They were able to keep the game close the entire time before losing steam in the final minutes. Cleveland now has a record of 9-5 this season, which is very surprising.
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Meanwhile, the Nets were easily defeated by the Warriors in their last game. It was a very competitive game for the first two quarters before Golden State went on their usual third quarter run. Brooklyn had no answer for Stephen Curry, while Kevin Durant was limited to just 19 points.
Cleveland Cavaliers Injury Report
The Cleveland Cavaliers have six players on their injury list for the game against the Brooklyn Nets. Five of the six players are listed as out, while the only remaining player, Kevin Love, is listed as probable. Love has cleared the league's health and safety protocols and missed the Celtics game due to reconditioning.
Meanwhile, the five players listed as out are Jarrett Allen, Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, Lamar Stevens and Evan Mobley. Allen is nursing an illness, while Markkanen is in reconditioning after being cleared from health and safety protocols.
Stevens has a sprained right ankle and Sexton underwent knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus. Mobley suffered a right elbow sprain in the Celtics game and is out for the next two to four weeks.
Brooklyn Nets Injury Report
Like the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Brooklyn Nets have six players on their injury list heading into Wednesday's game. All six players are listed as out, with Kyrie Irving being the most notable. Irving is still ineligible to play for the Nets due to not being vaccinated.
Paul Millsap is set to miss his third straight game for personal reasons, while Nicolas Claxton continues his recovery from a non-COVID illness. Joe Harris has a sprained left ankle and the other two players are assigned to the G League. They are David Duke Jr. and Kessler Edwards, who are signed to two-way deals.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Brooklyn Nets: Predicted Lineups
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are pretty thin on the front court with Lauri Markkanen, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley out of the starting lineup. The Cavaliers are expected to use Dean Wade at center with Kevin Love at power forward.
Isaac Okoro remains at small forward, while the combination of Ricky Rubio and Darius Garland is on the backcourt. With Love surely on minutes restriction, Cedi Osman will get more chances off the bench, as well as Dylan Windler, Denzel Valentine and quite possibly Tacko Fall.
Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets are not expected to change their starting lineup for the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Patty Mills gets another start with Joe Harris nursing an ankle injury with James Harden as the playmaking shooting guard.
Kevin Durant serves as the team's stretch four with Bruce Brown Jr, as the small ball forward. Blake Griffin is the starting center, while LaMarcus Aldridge likely plays earlier than he did against the Golden State Warriors. De'Andre Bembry, Cameron Thomas and Jevon Carter are also expected to get minutes off the bench.
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Cleveland Cavaliers vs Brooklyn Nets: Starting 5s
Cleveland Cavaliers
Point Guard - Ricky Rubio | Shooting Guard - Darius Garland | Small Forward - Isaac Okoro | Power Forward - Kevin Love | Center - Dean Wade
Brooklyn Nets
Point Guard - Patty Mills | Shooting Guard - James Harden | Small Forward - Bruce Brown Jr. | Power Forward - Kevin Durant | Center - Blake Griffin