What to Watch for in Brooklyn Nets vs. Cavaliers

The Brooklyn Nets will face off against the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second time this season, this time on the road. The Nets fell to the Cavs 131-124 on Oct. 24 in their home opener.

Brooklyn will be going to work without its starting center, Nic Claxton, though there are a variety of candidates who could be in line to step up in his absence.

Michael Porter Jr. will be good to go for this one, as he's been dealing with knee tendinitis in recent weeks. With the All-Star break giving him ample time to rest, perhaps it shouldn't be as big of an issue for the foreseeable future.

The offense will continue to run through Porter, of course, but it'll be up to him to continue finding open looks off the ball with Claxton out of the lineup, as Claxton has helped set Porter up for many clean looks through offball screen and curl actions throughout the season.

The Nets should continue to give Nolan Traoré an extended look at point guard and capitalize on the gravity he attracts on drives to the rim, which leads to his patented floater or kick outs to the perimeter.

Egor Dëmin should continue to be well stationed behind the line ready to receive many of those passes while letting his feathery touch from downtown do the rest of the work.

Expect Day'Ron Sharpe to pick up right where he left off before the break, when he posted 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting, 12 rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks in over 30 minutes on the floor.

Danny Wolf should also see some extended run, as the Nets will look to him to push the pace, move the ball around effectively, and capitalize on open driving lanes to the rim.

The Cavs are a completely different squad since they last came into Brooklyn, as they brought in ex-Net James Harden in exchange for Darius Garland.

Harden has found great synergy with Jarrett Allen, who ironically was dealt to Cleveland in a four-team deal that brought The Beard to Brooklyn.

Donovan Mitchell should be expected to handle the bulk of the scoring, especially with his ability to get downhill and put pressure on the rim. He's a threat to get hot as well.

Evan Mobley is expected to return for the Cavs, though he might be eased back into action.