Through 3 Quarters
The Los Angeles Lakers are just one quarter away from delivering their fans the win they’ve been expecting. a win is still up for grabs for either squad, but they are up 88-85 over the Cleveland Cavaliers
The top scorer for the Lakers has been small forward LeBron James (20 points). Cleveland has enjoyed the tag-team combination of power forward Evan Mobley and point guard Ricky Rubio. The former has 20 points in addition to five rebounds, while the latter has 18 points and four assists along with six boards.
Los Angeles’ lead doesn’t mean much since they have only won 0% games in which they are up at the end of the third quarter. We’ll see how things play out.
Who’s Playing
Cleveland @ Los Angeles
Current Records: Cleveland 3-2; Los Angeles 2-3
What to Know
The Cleveland Cavaliers haven’t won a game against the Los Angeles Lakers since Jan. 13 of 2019, but they’ll be looking to end the drought on Friday. The Cavaliers’ road trip will continue as they head to Staples Center at 10:30 p.m. ET to face off against Los Angeles. Cleveland will be strutting in after a win while the Lakers will be stumbling in from a loss.
Cleveland had enough points to win and then some against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, taking their contest 92-79. Cleveland’s point guard Collin Sexton filled up the stat sheet, picking up 26 points along with seven rebounds.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles came up short against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, falling 123-115. Los Angeles was up 41-19 at the end of the first quarter but somehow couldn’t manage to seal the deal. Despite the defeat, they got a solid performance out of power forward Anthony Davis, who had 30 points in addition to eight boards.
Cleveland is expected to lose this next one by 8.5. However, those who like betting on the underdog should be happy to hear that they are 3-1 against the spread when expected to lose.
Los Angeles’ defeat took them down to 2-3 while Cleveland’s victory pulled them up to 3-2. Allowing an average of 119.60 points per game, the Lakers haven’t exactly asserted themselves on the defensive end. We’ll see if they can patch up the holes in their defense before their upcoming matchup.
How To Watch
When: Friday at 10:30 p.m. ETWhere: Staples Center — Los Angeles, CaliforniaTV: Bally Sports – OhioOnline streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)Follow: CBS Sports AppTicket Cost: $40.00
Odds
The Lakers are a big 8.5-point favorite against the Cavaliers, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Lakers as a 9-point favorite.
Over/Under: -111
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Series History
Cleveland have won six out of their last 11 games against Los Angeles.
Mar 26, 2021 – Los Angeles 100 vs. Cleveland 86Jan 25, 2021 – Los Angeles 115 vs. Cleveland 108Jan 13, 2020 – Los Angeles 128 vs. Cleveland 99Jan 13, 2019 – Cleveland 101 vs. Los Angeles 95Nov 21, 2018 – Los Angeles 109 vs. Cleveland 105Mar 11, 2018 – Los Angeles 127 vs. Cleveland 113Dec 14, 2017 – Cleveland 121 vs. Los Angeles 112Mar 19, 2017 – Cleveland 125 vs. Los Angeles 120Dec 17, 2016 – Cleveland 119 vs. Los Angeles 108Mar 10, 2016 – Cleveland 120 vs. Los Angeles 108Feb 10, 2016 – Cleveland 120 vs. Los Angeles 111
Injury Report for Los Angeles
LeBron James: Game-Time Decision (Ankle)Rajon Rondo: Game-Time Decision (Ankle)Wayne Ellington: Game-Time Decision (Hamstring)Anthony Davis: Game-Time Decision (Knee)Malik Monk: Game-Time Decision (Illness)Kendrick Nunn: Out (Knee)Talen Horton-Tucker: Out (Thumb)Trevor Ariza: Out (Ankle)
Injury Report for Cleveland
Kevin Pangos: Out (Personal)Isaac Okoro: Out (Hamstring)
