The Cleveland Cavaliers are currently on the other side of the pond and they seem to be having a great time in Paris, where they are scheduled for a showdown against the Brooklyn Nets Thursday. Donovan Mitchell and the Cavs have even already posed for a group photo with the iconic Eiffel Tower in the background.
The game is scheduled to take place at Accor Arena — the same venue that will host the Gold Medal basketball game in the 2024 Paris Olympics — and is also part of the NBA’s Global Games initiative. But on Thursday, it will be the location where the Cavs will hope to take care of business against the Nets. It will be the second meeting in the 2023-24 season of the two Eastern Conference squads, with Cleveland winning the first one back in October in Brooklyn. If the Cavs and the Nets could replicate the same thrill they provided in that first meeting, then basketball fans in France would be in for an unforgettable NBA experience.
It can be remembered that Mitchell buried a clutch go-ahead 3-pointer late in regulation in that October game versus the Nets to lead the Cavs to a 114-113 victory. Mitchell and Strus each had 27 points to pace the Cavs against Brooklyn, while Caris LeVert came off the bench and fired 11 points.
The Cavs, who have a 21-15 record, arrived in France on a three-game win streak after beating the San Antonio Spurs at home last Sunday, 117-115.
The Nets, on the other hand, will enter Thursday’s contest looking to recover from a 134-127 overtime home loss at the hands of the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.