The Cleveland Cavaliers will hit the road for the second straight game and challenge the LA Clippers at Staples Center on Wednesday night.
After losing their first two games of the season, the Cavs have won back-to-back games against the Hawks and Nuggets, winning the two games as underdogs of 8.5 points and 9.5 points, respectively. Cleveland is on a five-game road trip and this game is the second leg of that trip.
The Clippers meanwhile are coming off their first win of the season and they got it in style, blowing out Portland by 30 points in their most recent assignment. LA lost to the Warriors by two points in their opening game of the season. Next, they dropped a six-point contest against the Grizzlies before finally securing their first win last Monday.
The Cavs have evened their record after an 0-2 start. Collin Sexton has been the catalyst as he leads the team in scoring at 19.0 points per game while Jarrett Allen is adding 17.0 points per game. Kevin Love is coming off his best game of the season with 22 points the last time out and Ricky Rubio leads the team with 9.0 assists per game.
Cleveland is shooting just 47.4% from the field and 30.3% from long distance but they are second in the league in passing at 28.3 total assists per game. The Cavs’ defense is allowing 109.3 points per game this season, the 15th best scoring defense in the league. Cleveland however is just 23rd in rebounding at 43.8 boards grabbed per contest.
The Clippers are learning that life without Kawhi Leonard isn’t easy as they dropped two close games to start the season without their closer. Paul George is doing his best to carry the team in Leonard’s absence and he leading the team in scoring and rebounding at 28.7 points per game and 7.0 rebounds per contest. Eric Bledsoe leads the team in passing at 5.3 assists per game while Reggie Jackson is averaging 15.3 points per game. Luke Kennard is off to a good start at 13.3 points per game as well.
LA ranks 8th in the league in scoring at 114.3 points per game while they are 4th in passing at 28.0 assists per contest. The Clippers are just 28th off the glass at 48.0 rebounds per game. The Los Angeles defense is allowing just 107.0 points per game which is 12th best in the entire NBA this season.
The Cavaliers are 3-15 SU in their last 18 games played. Cleveland is 1-9 SU in their last 10 games played on the road, 1-7 SU in their last eight games against the WC, and 0-19 SU in their last 19 games against the PD.
The Clippers are 3-6 SU in their last nine games played. LA is 12-1 SU in their last 13 games against the Central Division, and 6-3 SU in their last nine games played at Staples Center.
Head to head, LA is 7–0 SU in their last five games against the Cavs. LA is also 5-0 SU in their last five meetings played at Staples Center.
The Clippers are off to a slow start but they finally got their first win last Monday against the Blazers. Paul George continues to take charge with Kawhi Leonard is out of action. Meanwhile, Reggie Jackson and Luke Kennard have combined to average 28 points per game to compensate for Kawhi’s absence.
The Cavs head to Staples Center with back-to-back wins over 2021 playoff teams the Atlanta Hawks and the Denver Nuggets. However, this will be Cleveland’s second straight road game in three days as the Cavs are on a five-game road trip, their first away trip of the year.
Cleveland has shown flashes of brilliance but they have not been consistent at all this season, as they were the previous year. The Cavs will bring the momentum of their two-game winning streak but the Clippers are the more experienced team between the two. I like George to have another big night and lead the Clippers to their second straight win.
Prediction: LA Clippers
Cleveland is 4-14 ATS in their last 18 games played. The Cavs are 1-9 ATS in their last 10 games played on the road, 16-35-1 ATS in their last 52 games as betting underdogs, 14-37 ATS in their last 51 games when playing on one day rest, 7-22 ATS in their last 29 games as road underdogs, 1-4 ATS in their last five games after an ATS win, and 1-5 ATS in their last six games after a straight-up victory.
LA is 9-4 ATS in their last 13 games played. The Clippers are 6-3 ATS in their last nine home games, 5-2 ATS in their last seven games as betting favorites, but are just 3-10-1 ATS in their last 14 games after a straight-up win of more than 10 points, and 1-4 ATS in their last five games after an ATS win.
Head to head, the Clippers are 9-1 ATS in their last 10 games played against the Cavaliers. LA is also 5-0 ATS in their last five home games against Cleveland.
While I think that the Clippers will win this game outright, I’m not quite confident in them covering this sizeable spread. LA is coming off a blowout win over Portland and it’s hard to carry the same effort to the next game. Their first two games were decided by a total losing margin of eight points so they have been involved in two close games already.
The Cavs have the big men to challenge the Clippers’ small frontline and their competitiveness off the glass and inside the paint could help keep this game close. The Clippers are also shooting just 33% from a three-point distance so that’s not going to help spread the floor in this game.
Cleveland has been competitive early on and they will surely be competitive against a Clippers team that is still adjusting to life without their top player. Although I think that the Clippers will pull off the win, the Cavs will keep this close and I have them losing by five or six points. I’ll take the plus points here.
Prediction: Cavaliers +8
The total has gone over in four out of the last five Wednesday games played by the Cavs. The over is also 4-1 in their last five games against an opponent with a losing straight-up record, and the total has gone over in four out of their last six games played in October. The over is also 4-1 in their last five games after a road win.
The total has gone over in four out of the Clippers’ last five straight-up wins. The over is 5-2 in their last seven games after an ATS win, 9-4-1 in their last 14 games as home favorites against an opponent with a winning record, and 5-2 in their last seven home games after allowing fewer than 100 points in their previous game.
Head to head, the total has gone over in four out of the last five head-to-head meetings between these two teams.
The Cavs have proved to be a good defensive team this season as they have allowed an average of 100 points per game in their last two games. Despite that, their offense is still their calling card as they rank 12th overall in offensive rating. The Cavs also go to the line a lot and that should work against a Clippers team that allows the third-highest free throw rate in the league.
The Clippers have taken care of the ball quite well to start the year and despite their shooting woes, they have the league’s 7th best offensive rating. George was a handful against Portland and being the best player on the floor on Wednesday night, he should deliver another big game. The Clippers have not scored fewer than 113 points in a game this season. I think that any total below 220 would be an easy over for this pair.
Prediction: Over 217
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