Lakers vs Cavaliers Picks & Odds: Cavs Favored At Home Over LeBron’s Lakers

The Cleveland Cavaliers (15-9 SU, 13-9-2 ATS) welcome the Los Angeles Lakers (10-12, 10-12) to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse as LeBron James makes his return to his hometown. Can James lead Los Angeles to its fourth straight win? Find out in our Lakers vs Cavaliers prediction.

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Lakers vs Cavaliers Sportsbook Odds

The Cavaliers opened as the 4-point favorite at home with the total set at 224 points. The OVER is 13-5 in the last 18 meetings between the two teams while Los Angeles is 5-1 in its last six games against Cleveland – a potential sign to go with the visitors in your Lakers vs Cavaliers prediction.

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Davis Scores 55 As Lakers Win Third Straight

The Lakers picked up their third consecutive win on Sunday, downing the Washington Wizards 130-119. Anthony Davis was a one-man army as he scored 55 points and added 17 rebounds, falling just four points shy of his career high. James added 29 points for the Lakers while Kristaps Porzingis (27 points) and Kyle Kuzma (26 points) led the Wizards.

Davis has been a man on a mission over the last few weeks and has almost single-handedly revived the Lakers’ season. Davis is averaging 35.3 points per game over his last nine contests, coinciding pretty closely with an 8-2 stretch for Los Angeles that has seen the team work its way toward the .500 mark after a dreadful first month.

Cavs Lose Low-Scoring Affair To Knicks

The offense dried up for the Cavaliers on Sunday as they fell 92-81 to the New York Knicks. Donovan Mitchell (23 points) was the only player to score 20-plus for Cleveland, with only three others finishing in double digits. Meanwhile, Jalen Brunson had 23 points to lead the Knicks to the low-scoring win.

While it was an uncharacteristically low-scoring performance for the Cavs, it’s their defensive work that has led them to a strong start to the season. Cleveland owns the NBA’s best defense, allowing just 105 points per game. On the offensive side, the Cavaliers also boast an impressive one-two punch in Mitchell and Darius Garland, who are averaging a combined 50 points per contest.

Lakers Player Prop: Davis OVER 31 Points (+114)

Davis is averaging a whopping 49.5 points over his last two outings and has scored 30-plus in six of his last nine games. Assuming he gets enough court time, he should be a lock to hit the OVER on 31 points.

Cavaliers Player Prop: Mitchell OVER 30 Points (+112)

Mitchell cooled down a bit in November, averaging 26.8 points per game in the month, but started December off strong with a 34-point performance against the Orlando Magic. If he gets hot, 30 points is definitely within range for the Cavs’ top scorer.

Lakers: Keys To Victory

The Lakers have been scoring at will of late and that’s the main reason for their recent turnaround. That offensive explosion has been led primarily by Davis, who is playing like someone who could be in the MVP discussion if he keeps it up. Add in a motivated James, who surely wants to put on a show for his hometown fans, and you could see the Lakers take this one.

Cavaliers: Keys To Victory

The Cavaliers’ league-leading defense will be tested on Tuesday as they’ll need to contain not only James, but perhaps the NBA’s hottest scorer in Davis. If Cleveland can stick to its defensive plan and limit Davis to a reasonable number, they should be able to eke out a win.

NBA Computer Pick: Cavaliers -4

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