The Los Angeles Lakers host the Cleveland Cavaliers in a nationally-televised contest Sunday at 9 p.m. ET. While the Lakers make one final postseason push, the Cavs will be without center Tristan Thompson (ankle) for a fourth consecutive game. Cleveland opened as a 3.5-point road favorite and now is laying two.
The Over-Under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, has dipped from 230 to 228.5.
Before picking either side, you need to read what SportsLine hoops expert Larry Hartstein, who's on a sizzling 41-23 run picking NBA games, has to say.
On Friday, Hartstein made a confident pick in the Cavaliers-Clippers game, noting how Los Angeles, a one-point favorite, was 5-0 against the spread in its last five games following a straight-up loss. The result: three Clippers swished at least 20 points as L.A. rolled to a 116-102 victory, which allowed Hartstein to cover by more than a dozen points.
Hartstein, who has a strong analytical background, has now examined every matchup, every player and every trend for Cavs-Lakers and locked in his pick.
He knows that if Los Angeles wants to win -- or at least cover the spread -- it all starts with slowing down No. 23. In his past five games, LeBron James is averaging 30 points, 8.8 rebounds and 9.2 assists.
But Cleveland could win and cover by getting forward Larry Nance Jr. more involved in the offense. Over his past five games, he's shooting a blistering 64 percent from the field. Against a porous Lakers defense, he could wreak incredible havoc in the paint.
We can tell you Hartstein is expecting a low-scoring affair and is leaning towards the under, but he knows a major trend will determine what side of the spread you need to back.
So what side of Cleveland-Los Angeles do you need to be all over on Sunday? Visit SportsLine now to see the strong point-spread pick, and see what trend tips the scales, all from an expert who has absolutely crushed the NBA.
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