The Los Angeles Lakers take on the Cleveland Cavaliers in a nationally televised matchup on Tuesday evening at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The Lakers are 10-12 overall and 4-6 on the road this season, with the Cavaliers entering at 15-9 overall and a blistering 10-1 at home. Jarrett Allen (back) is listed as questionable for the Cavaliers, with Ricky Rubio (knee) and Dean Wade (shoulder) ruled out. LeBron James (ankle) and Anthony Davis (back) are listed as probable for the Lakers.
Caesars Sportsbook lists Cleveland as a 5.5-point home favorite, and tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. The total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, or the over/under, is 225.5 in the latest Lakers vs. Cavaliers odds. Before you make any NBA predictions with the Lakers vs. Cavs match-up, 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 -5.5
- Lakers vs. Cavaliers over/under: 225.5 points
- Lakers vs. Cavaliers money line: Cavaliers -225, Lakers +185
- LAL: 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
Why the Lakers can cover
The Lakers are playing quality defense this season, ranking in the top 10 with 1.11 points allowed per possession. Los Angeles is holding opponents to 46.2% shooting, a top-10 mark, and the Lakers are allowing only 33.9% shooting on 3-point attempts. Los Angeles is No. 2 in the NBA in free throw prevention, yielding only 21.0 attempts per game, and the Lakers are grabbing 72.5% of available defensive rebounds.
Los Angeles also has notable strengths on offense, including the league's best mark with 57.4 points in the paint per game. The Lakers are in the top five of the NBA in free throw creation, averaging 25.4 attempts per game, and Los Angeles is in the top 10 in free throw accuracy (79.7%), turnover rate (14.0%), and fast break points (15.8 per game). The Lakers are also above-average in field goal percentage (47.3%) and assists per game (25.1) this season.
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 10 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.
