Los Angeles Lakers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Prediction, NBA Odds
The Los Angeles Lakers’ Eastern Conference road swing concludes in Cleveland against the Cavaliers on Monday night. The Lakers, who haven’t been able to string together back-to-back victories since a four-game winning streak from Dec. 31 to Jan. 7, are coming off a 127-119 loss in Washington on Saturday. Cleveland’s lead over the Toronto Raptors in the standings has shrunk to one game, although the Cavs are coming off a 113-109 home win over Detroit on Saturday.
The Cavaliers are 5.5-point favourites to win on the NBA odds, with a total of 227.0.
Lakers vs. Cavaliers NBA Betting Odds
LeBron James got the best of his former Cleveland team earlier this season, scoring a game-high 26 points in a 113-101 home win on Oct. 29. It was L.A.’s fourth straight win against the Cavaliers.
There’s something seriously wrong in Lakers Country as L.A. is barely hanging on in the playoff race and they have dropped 12 of their last 13 road games. They’re a brutal 29-42 against the spread for the season and they’ve failed to cover in four of their last five games. The total has gone Over in five of the Lakers’ last seven games.
Cleveland has done great in interconference games this season, winning nine of their last 11 against Western Conference teams. They’re a healthy 40-28-3 ATS overall, including 21-13-1 ATS at home. The total has gone Over in six of the Cavaliers last seven games overall and four of their last five at home.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers somehow found a way to ruin a historic performance by James on Saturday, blowing a 16-point lead in Washington. James dropped a game-high 38 points, passing Karl Malone for second place on the career scoring list and he now trails only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. James also added 10 rebounds. Russell Westbrook had 22 points, 10 boards and eight assists against his former team, but James has been the only consistent performer on L.A.’s roster. James is averaging 29.8 points per game, moving him into a three-way tie with Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo for the NBA scoring lead.
The Lakers’ defence has been a major issue this season. L.A. is allowing an average of 114.0 ppg this season, ranking them 26th in the NBA. Injuries have been a contributing factor to the defensive struggles, particularly with Anthony Davis, who remains out of the lineup. Davis is expected to be out of the lineup until at least the play-in tournament with a mid foot sprain that has sidelined him since Feb. 16. The Lakers have won just three of 13 games since Davis went down and there’s no guarantee they’ll even reach the play-in tournament.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers will be going for a third straight win when they host L.A. on Monday. Darius Garland led the way against Detroit on Saturday, finishing with 24 points and 12 assists. Evan Mobley added 12 points and 11 rebounds for his NBA rookie-high 20th double-double of the season. Mobley is a heavy -833 favourite to win Rookie of the Year. The win against the Pistons was Cleveland’s 41 of the season, officially clinching their first non-losing season in four years. Garland continues to lead the team offensively as he averages team-highs in points (21.3), assists (8.5) and steals (1.2).
Cleveland is also dealing with their fair share of injuries. Jarrett Allen (fractured finger), Rajon Rondo (right ankle sprain) and Dean Wade (right knee soreness) were all inactive on Saturday and have been ruled out Monday as well.
LAL
CLE