It figures to be an emotional night as it always is when LeBron James returns to face the Cleveland Cavaliers. His Los Angeles Lakers are in Cleveland for a 7:00 p.m. ET tip-off on Monday.
James, who grew up in nearby Akron, led the Cavaliers to their first NBA championship and ended the city’s lengthy title drought by returning and winning in 2016. His jersey is still popular amongst fans and will be seen in the stands by many.
Cleveland (41-30) was turning some heads by leading the Eastern Conference throughout the first half of the season, but it since has dropped to sixth and is six games behind first-place Miami and only one game ahead of the play-in tournament’s seventh seed.
What was surprising was they were doing it with a lot of injuries. Of late, Jarrett Allen is out indefinitely with a finger injury, limiting some of their frontcourt depth.
The Lakers (30-41) seem to have chemistry issues and are tied for ninth and at risk of missing the play-in tournament. They have a 2.5 game lead ahead of San Antonio for the final spot.
Injuries have been a big part of their struggles, with Anthony Davis remaining out till late March.
The line opened at Cleveland -6 with an over/under of 223. The over/under has since moved to 226 as of this writing.
Cleveland Cavaliers Betting Preview: Efficiency at its finest
Cleveland has the ninth most efficient offense, converting 46.7% of field goal attempts. The Cavs are also third in defense, allowing 104.2 points per game, and seventh in defensive efficiency, forcing teams to shoot 44.8% from the field.
A slower pace will certainly allow Cleveland to control the tempo, and while shorthanded in the middle, it would allow them to stay fresh.
Darius Garland is having an All-Star season averaging 21.3 points and 8.5 assists per game. The bright addition of rookie Evan Mobley to the frontcourt has been a big key.
He’s averaging 15.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game. Adding Caris LeVert to the rotation via trade should give the backcourt another star to pair with frontcourt depth when healthy.
Los Angeles Lakers Betting Preview: Control the pace
The Lakers like to get out in transition, and they’ll need to against a solid defensive team. Los Angeles is 12th in scoring at 111.2 points per game and 10th in efficiency, converting 46.5% of attempts.
But their defense allows 114.0 points per game, the fifth-worst mark in the league. But if they can speed up the Cavs, it’ll give themselves more opportunities to score, secure Cleveland’s misses, and get in transition.
James hasn’t slowed down at 37 years old, turning in an MVP-caliber season with averages of 29.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game.
The widely criticized addition of Russell Westbrook hasn’t been all bad. Westbrook averages 18.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game and has at least been healthy, playing in 70 games this season.
Betting Prediction
The Lakers won the first meeting 113-101 in late October. A lot looked different, though, as the big three were healthy, Collin Sexton and Ricky Rubio were on the floor for Cleveland, and the arena was still called the Staples Center. Sexton is out for the season, as is Rubio, who was traded at the deadline.
Los Angeles is 29-41-1 against the spread and 39-31-1 on over/unders. They are 3-7 over their last ten against the spread and 10-24 on the road. Cleveland is 39-29-3 against the spread and 30-40-1 on over/unders, including a 23-12 home record.
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