The Cleveland Cavaliers look to end their three-game losing skid when they play host the Washington Wizards on Saturday at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
The Cavs will march into the game as the betting favorite because of their superior record. However, the prolonged absences of All-Star guard Darius Garland and mid-season acquisition Caris Levert has presented a host of problems for the emerging playoff contender. Will the Wizards be able to capitalize this golden opportunity and improve their regular-season slate?
Wizards vs Cavaliers Game Information
- 🏀Teams: Washington Wizards | Cleveland Cavaliers
- 📊Record: Wizards 27-32 (22-35-2 ATS) | Cavaliers 35-24 (35-22-2 ATS)
- 📅Date: Saturday, February 26, 2022
- 🕛Time: 8 p.m. ET
- 📺TV Channel: Bally Sports Detroit, Bally Ohio & NBA League Pass
- 🏟Venue: Rocket Mortgage Arena; Cleveland, Ohio
- 🎲Odds: Wizards +8 (-105) | Cavaliers -8 (-115)
Wizards vs Cavaliers NBA Picks and Betting Odds
All Cavaliers vs Wizards betting odds can be found at BetOnline
Washington Wizards Injury Report
SG Bradley Beal (out of the season) | PF Kristaps Porzingis (doubtful)
Cleveland Cavaliers Injury Report
SF Caris LeVert (out indefinitely) | PG Rajon Rondo (out) | SG Collin Sexton (out for the season) | Darius Garland (out)
Wizards vs Cavaliers News and Preview | NBA Picks
The Wizards just came a few days off the highest-scoring NBA game this season. Washington fought hard but fell short against the San Antonio Spurs 157-153 in 2OT on Friday. Kyle Kuzma busted out one of the best all-around games of his career, recording 36 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists. The Wiz also got strong production from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Raul Neto, who chipped in 24 and 22 points, respectively. However, Washington had no answers to the brilliance of Dejounte Murray, who stuffed the stats sheet with 31 points, 13 rebounds, and 14 assists. As a result, the Wiz slid to 27-32, one game out of the play-in tournament picture.
A strong welcome back from @MarkkanenLauri 👏🔥@keybank | #LetEmKnow
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) February 26, 2022
It’s not an exaggeration to say that the Cavs sorely missed Garland in their first game after the All-Star break. Although Rondo put up solid numbers in a starting role, Garland’s 16.4 PPG proved to be a bigger shoe to fill in than initially thought. With the young playmaker sitting out, the Pistons went on to outgun the Cavs with rookie guard Cade Cunningham leading the way with 17 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Rondo tallied 12 points and 9 assists in 26 minutes while Lauri Markkanen recorded 22 points to pace the Cavs, who shot 44.7 FG% as a team.
Wizards vs Cavaliers NBA Betting Trends | NBA Picks
- Washington are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games against Cleveland.
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington’s last 6 games on the road.
- Cleveland are 7-13 ATS in their last 20 games played in February.
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cleveland’s last 5 games against Washington.
- Washington are 4-2 ATS in their last 6 games against Cleveland.
- The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Cleveland’s last 18 games when playing at home against Washington.
Projected Washington Wizards Starting Lineup
PG Raul Neto | SG Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | SF Kyle Kuzma | PF Corey Kispert | C Daniel Gafford
Projected Cleveland Cavaliers Starting Lineup
PG Isaac Okoro | SG Cedi Osman | PF Dean Wade | SF Evan Mobley | C Jarrett Allen
Wizards vs Cavaliers Prediction | NBA Picks
Despite lacking a bit of firepower without Garland and LeVert, the Cavaliers are viewed as the favorite still given the depth of their roster. The Cavs’ tall frontline of Jarret Allen, Lauri Markkanen and Kevin Love will test the Wizards in the interior.
The Wizards won two of the three regular-season contests with the Cavs so far. In both wins, Washington had Bradley Beal to rely on. Now that the star two-guard is out for the season with a wrist injury, Washington will heavily rely on Kuzma to shoulder the offensive load while waiting for Kristaps Porzingis to finally suit up.
ESPN Basketball Power Index gives the Cavs a 72.7 percent chance of tying the regular-season series. It’s true Cleveland has the deeper team on paper, though fatigue might have played a bigger factor to the Cavs’ overwhelming winning chance. Remember, the Wizards’ matchup with the Cavs will come 24 hours after that grueling OT loss to the Spurs. NBA players are top-notch athletes but the limited recovery time could spell the difference in the game. Pick the Cavaliers to win.
All betting lines were retrieved from BetOnline. Click below to claim a free bet, if you’re a new customer.
