Both teams concluded the regular season 44-38, but Brooklyn won the No. 7 seed by virtue of a 3-1 season series victory. The winner of Tuesday’s game advances to the first round of the playoffs next week, when they will face the No. 2 seeded Boston Celtics. The loser will play Friday against the winner of the Atlanta Hawks-Charlotte Hornets 9-10 play-in game.
The Nets needed a 134-126 victory over Indiana on Sunday to win the seventh seed. “We moved up to (seventh place),” Brooklyn coach Steve Nash explained. “A week ago, we were tenth.” Nash stated that playing Cleveland last week benefited him. He then took a broader view of the problem. “It benefits both teams,” Nash explained. “Whoever performs the best will win.”
Against the Pacers, the Nets had four players score 20 or more points, including former Cavs guard Kyrie Irving, who scored a game-high 35 points. Durant, who is 6-11, hit just 5 of 17 from the floor and 0 of 6 from 3-point range. He still managed a triple-double, scoring 20 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, and dishing out a career-high 16 assists.
Cleveland concluded the regular season with a 133-115 victory over a slew of Milwaukee backups. Kevin Love, a forward, was productive in his 15 minutes off the bench, scoring 32 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. He made 8 of 11 3-point attempts.
Cleveland became a postseason contender with the emergence of All-Star point guard Darius Garland and youngster Evan Mobley. Garland is the team’s leading scorer (21.7 points per game) and assists contributor (8.6).
