The Cleveland Cavaliers aim to build on an elite home record when they welcome the Los Angeles Lakers to town on Tuesday. The Cavaliers are 10-1 at home and 15-9 overall this season, with the Lakers entering at 10-12 overall and 4-6 on the road. LeBron James (ankle) and Anthony Davis (back) are listed as probable for the Lakers, with Wenyen Gabriel (shoulder) listed as questionable. Jarrett Allen (back) is listed as questionable for the Cavaliers, with Ricky Rubio (knee), Dean Wade (shoulder), and Dylan Windler (ankle) ruled out. Cleveland is 13-9-2 against the spread and Los Angeles is 10-12 ATS this season.
Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m. ET in Cleveland. Caesars Sportsbook lists Cleveland as the 4.5-point home favorite, while the over/under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 224.5 in the latest Lakers vs. Cavaliers odds. Before making any Cavaliers vs. Lakers picks, you need to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s advanced computer simulation model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past four-plus seasons. The model enters Week 8 of the 2022-23 NBA season on a stunning 111-70 roll on all top-rated NBA picks that dates back to last season, returning more than $3,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Lakers vs. Cavs and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Now, here are several NBA odds and betting lines and trends for Cavs vs. Lakers:
Lakers vs. Cavaliers spread: Cavaliers -4.5Lakers vs. Cavaliers over/under: 224.5 points Lakers vs. Cavaliers money line: Cavaliers -180, Lakers +152LAL: The Lakers are 10-12 against the spread this season CLE: The Cavaliers are 13-9-2 against the spread this season Lakers vs. Cavaliers picks: See picks here
Featured Game | Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Why the Lakers can cover
The Lakers are led by a red-hot superstar in Davis. Davis has recaptured his All-NBA form this season, averaging 28.6 points, 12.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocked shots per game while shooting 59% from the field. Davis exploded for 55 points and 17 rebounds in the team’s most recent win over Washington on Sunday and, over the last nine games, the former No. 1 overall pick is averaging 35.3 points, 15.6 rebounds, and 2.9 blocked shots per game with 64.8% shooting.
Davis also anchors the defense for the Lakers, but Los Angeles has top-tier metrics in several offensive categories. Los Angeles is leading the NBA in points in the paint (57.4 per game), while also posting top-eight marks in free throw attempts (25.4 per game) and free throw accuracy (79.7%). Los Angeles commits a turnover on only 14.0% of possessions, and the Lakers are No. 6 in the NBA with 15.8 fast break points per game.
Why the Cavaliers can cover
Cleveland’s defense is elite this season, leading the NBA in overall efficiency in allowing only 106.7 points per 100 possessions. The Cavaliers are also atop the league in second-chance points allowed (11.0 per game), with top-five marks in field goal percentage allowed (45.5%), 2-point percentage allowed (51.5%), defensive rebound rate (73.8%) and points allowed in the paint (45.8 per game).
Cleveland is also very strong in preventing free throw attempts (22.4 per game) and assists (22.8 per game), ranking in the top 10 of the NBA. On offense, the Cavaliers have a pair of standout guards (Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland) averaging at least 22 points per game, and Cleveland is a top-10 team in field goal percentage (47.5%), 3-point percentage (37.8%) and free throw percentage (80.8%).
How to make Lakers vs. Cavaliers picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning Over on the point total, with 11 players projected to score in double figures. The model also says one side of the spread hits in almost 70% of simulations. You can only see the model’s picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Lakers vs. Cavaliers? And which side of the spread hits in almost 70% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Lakers vs. Cavaliers spread you need to jump on Tuesday, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
