Nets at Cavaliers
The Brooklyn Nets are making it clear that they care more about the health of their team entering the playoffs than seeding. The Nets can still lock up the No. 5 spot, however, with a win when they visit the Cleveland Cavaliers in the regular-season finale Wednesday. Brooklyn was missing three key players in a loss to the New York Knicks on Tuesday and leads the Washington Wizards by one game for the fifth spot.
The Wizards own the head-to-head tiebreak between the teams, meaning the Nets need a win Wednesday or a Washington loss at Boston to sew up the higher spot. The Cavaliers made a late run at the final spot in the Eastern Conference before falling short and are playing out the string with some poor recent performances. “These games are tough because you’ve invested so much in making a playoff push,” Cleveland center Spencer Hawes told reporters. “We have to do a better job of battling human nature and not allowing that to impact our effort or whatever else.”
TV: 8 p.m. ET, YES (Brooklyn), FSN Ohio (Cleveland)
ABOUT THE NETS (44-37): Brooklyn is set to face Toronto or Chicago in the first round depending on how the final day of the season shakes out and is content to let Alan Anderson (abdominal), Shaun Livingston (toe) and Mirza Teletovic (personal) take as much time as they need before things get underway over the weekend. None of the Nets’ starters played more than 31 minutes Tuesday and veterans Paul Pierce (21 minutes) and Kevin Garnett (15) were on the floor just long enough to stay fresh. Mason Plumlee had another strong game off the bench and has vaulted himself over Andray Blatche in the frontcourt rotation.
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (32-49): Cleveland appears to have let its guard down completely after being eliminated from postseason contention. The Cavaliers allowed the NBA-worst Milwaukee Bucks to shoot 52.4 percent in a 119-116 loss Friday before falling 111-99 to a Boston Celtics team with just eight healthy players the next night. “We don’t look like we’re playing to get better,” coach Mike Brown told reporters. “We look like we’re going through the motions. It’s not good. You want to win, but for me the most important thing is trying to play the right way. We haven’t done that for a while.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Nets have taken two of three in the series but dropped their lone trip to Cleveland 98-98 on Oct. 30.
2. Plumlee is averaging 16.5 points on 26-of-31 shooting in the last four games.
3. Cleveland PG Kyrie Irving is 7-for-27 from the floor and has handed out a total of four assists in the last two games.