King James in Action - Washington Wizards at Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers (2-2 SU, 1-3 ATS, 1-3, O/U) at Quicken Loans Arena tonight at 7 PM ET.
The Wizards spanked the New Jersey Nets 123-104 on Saturday to cover the game’s NBA point spread as 6.5-point home favorites while the final score played over the 191-point O/U total as gifted point guard Gilbert Arenas scored a game-high 32 points and backup center Andray Blatche added 30 points off the bench.
The Cavaliers man-handled the Charlotte Bobcats on Saturday, beating their Eastern Conference foes 90-79, but failed to cover the game’s NBA point spread as whopping 15-point home favorites while the final score played Under the 181.5-point O/U total.
Cleveland got a game-high 24 points from Mo Williams while LeBron James added 14 points in the victory.
Here is a look at tonight’s key trends and NBA Betting Odds, followed by my in-depth analysis and expert NBA Free Picks.
Wizards are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 vs. NBA Central.
Wizards are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following an ATS win.
Cavaliers are 36-17 ATS in their last 53 home games.
Cavaliers are 0-4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a S.U. win.
Cavaliers are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 vs. Eastern Conference.
Wizards are 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings.
Under is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings in Cleveland.
Road team is 5-2 ATS in the last 7 meetings.
Underdog is 7-0 ATS in the last 7 meetings.
NBA Odds
Washington +11½ Points
Over/Under 193 Points
Analysis: I like the Cleveland Cavaliers to win their third consecutive game tonight, largely based on the fact that they are playing at home. From a betting perspective, I unequivocally like the revamped Washington Wizards to cover the NBA point spread in this matchup against a Cavaliers team that still has the same scoring problems despite a few tweaks to their roster this past offseason that brought them Shaquille O’Neal, Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon.
The fact of the matter is that these aren’t the same Wizards we’ve seen the past few seasons as they’ve made some very significant additions starting with veteran head coach Flip Saunders.
Not only do the Wizards have Gilbert ‘Agent Zero’ Arenas back on the court looking as explosive as ever on offense, but the Wiz made some fine additions by adding gifted point guard Randy Foye and sweet-shooting swingman Mike Miller and rock-solid veteran center Fabricio Oberto.
Not only that, but talented fifth-year center Andray Blatche looks to finally be fulfilling the vast potential he’s always had, as he is averaging 21.0 points per game for Washington despite coming off the bench this season while averaging a shade over 33.0 minutes per game and shooting a mind-numbing 71.8 percent from the field through three games.
Washington could also have its most mentally tough player back on the floor for them tonight if athletic forward Caron ‘Tough Juice’ Butler makes his return from a bruised kneecap he suffered in Friday night’s loss to Atlanta when he dived to the floor for a rebound.
The Wizards have gone an impressive 4-1 ATS in their last five games against NBA Central Division squads while also going a surprising 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings against the Cavaliers.
Despite going a consistent 36-17 ATS in their last 53 home games, the Cavaliers have struggled mightily against the spread recently, going a dismal 0-4-1 ATS in their last five games following an SU win and 0-4 ATS in their last four games against Eastern Conference ballclubs.
Two more key trends point to a Wizards cover in this one as the road team in this series has gone 5-2 ATS in the last seven meetings while the underdog in this series has gone a scorching 7-0 ATS in the last seven meetings.
With the Wizards averaging 104.7 points per game and the Cavaliers still struggling offensively, averaging just 93.5 points per contest, I say take the Wizards in this NBA Locks Alert.
