Lakers vs. Cavaliers Point Spread: NBA Odds, Prediction
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Andrew Rogers
James, who left Cleveland for a second time this summer to join the Los Angeles Lakers, was booed lustily in his previous return to Quicken Loans Arena after bolting for the Miami Heat – but things might be different this time, after James led Cleveland to an NBA title in 2016.
NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis
You can throw out any head-to-head trends, with both teams looking vastly different than they have in recent years. So let’s go with season trends – and as you might expect, they don’t favour the Cavaliers. Cleveland is just 7-19 ATS in its last 26 games vs. the Pacific Division, and has only one cover in its past six against the West. The Lakers are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 vs. the Central but 1-7 in their previous eight against the Eastern Conference overall.
Both teams have trended heavily toward the under, which might make Wednesday’s total of 221 feel even higher. Los Angeles has converted the under in seven of its past nine games and is 5-2-1 to the under in its past eight games following a straight-up win. The Cavaliers have gone above the total just once in its last eight contests and are 7-2 to the under in their previous nine against teams with winning records.
Los Angeles Lakers
Whatever point total bettors get for LeBron’s scoring prop, they should strongly consider the over. While it has been nearly eight years since James first returned to Cleveland wearing another team’s jersey, his 38-point performance from that Dec. 2, 2010 victory as a member of the Heat still stands out. Look for James to torch a Cleveland defence that comes into this one having allowed a whopping 111.9 points per game.
Cleveland Cavaliers
As if having to face a motivated James weren’t challenging enough, the Cavaliers will do so with more controversy surrounding them. Disgruntled swingman J.R. Smith has left the team and will not return as he awaits a trade. And star power forward Kevin Love likely won’t be back until the new year as he continues his recovery from toe surgery. The Cavaliers are 5-6 ATS and 3-8 O/U with Love out of the lineup this season.
