Lakers-Cavaliers Preview: A King’s Welcome
The King returns home as his finally surging 10-12 Los Angeles Lakers take on the 15-9 Cleveland Cavaliers who are well positioned to finish near the top of the Eastern Conference. Cohesion alas is turning up for Darvin Ham’s squad, as they’ve won five of their last six and have averaged roughly 130 points per game over their last three games. Anthony Davis looks like his old self, Russell Westbrook is beginning to excel in his role, and LeBron still is one of the best players in the world.
Lakers @ Cavaliers Game Information
- Location: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse | Cleveland, OH
- Time: 7:30 p.m. ET | TV: TNT
The King returns home as his finally surging 10-12 Los Angeles Lakers take on the 15-9 Cleveland Cavaliers, who are well positioned to finish near the top of the Eastern Conference. Darvin Ham’s squad has found some chemistry, winning five of their last six.
The Lakers have averaged roughly 130 points per game over their last three games. Anthony Davis looks like his old self, Russell Westbrook is beginning to excel in his role, and LeBron James is still one of the world’s best players.
Lakers @ Cavaliers Game Information
- Location: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse | Cleveland, OH
- Time: 7:30 p.m. ET | TV: TNT
These teams faced off a month ago, with the Cavaliers coming out on top 114-100. They’ve played very different ball since then, as the Cavaliers have gone 7-8 while the Lakers have been 8-5. A long cry from the then 2-7 Lakers and 8-1 Cavaliers.
The Cavs sport the league’s best defense, as they are only allowing only 105 points per game. The backcourt of Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell leads the way, but they are deep, with contributions coming from throughout the roster. Jarrett Allen is listed as questionable for tonight’s game which would be a welcomed and timely addition to help combat the red-hot Davis.
Lakers @ Cavaliers Game Odds on FanDuel
- Spread: Lakers +5 (-112) | Cavaliers -5 (-108)
- Moneyline: Lakers (+166) | Cavaliers (-198)
- Total: Over 225 (-110) | Under 225 (-110)
This game is difficult to pick because Allen’s status means so much to the Cavs’ defense. We’re going to side with the Lakers regardless, but much more confidently if Allen doesn’t take the floor. The line shouldn’t swing much if he’s out, maybe a point.
LA has looked like the team they were supposed to be last year, so we find value on their side especially given that the Cavs aren’t playing well, coming off of a demoralizing loss where they scored 81 points. The Lakers are too hot to get burned by the potential bounce-back spot for Cleveland.
Lakers @ Cavaliers Prop Picks on FanDuel
- LeBron James OVER 26.5 Points (-115)
- Russell Westbrook UNDER 7.5 Assists (-113)
- Darius Garland UNDER 34.5 Points+Rebounds+Assists (-115)
A lot has been made, and justifiably so, about Davis’s resurgence. He’s been fantastic, but this is LeBron’s home. Additionally, James has gone over 26.5 points in three straight nights; we like this play regardless, but if Allen is clogging the paint for AD, then we like it that much more.
To continue to ride the LeBron night, we’re going to fade Westbrook. His 26 assists over the past two games coincided with massive AD games. Before the last two, Russ went under 7.5 in five straight games. The SportsGrid prop tool still has his projection around 6, so we’ll look to this UNDER.
Garland has gone under 34.5 points, rebounds, and assists in seven straight games, which is all we’re going off of for this prop tout.
