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The NBA regular season is more than half over, and the Cleveland Cavaliers are not looking like title contenders. Even though LeBron James and a host of other big names are on the roster, the Cavs sit in just third place in the Eastern Conference and have been struggling lately. They hope to turn it around this week in a big road game against the San Antonio Spurs.
The Spurs have also been up and down this season. Both of these teams are trying to stay in the conversation as championship contenders in 2017-18 and this could be a big statement game for both sides. San Antonio is the home team but is without star forward Kawhi Leonard, so the spread set by the oddsmakers will be intriguing.
This war on the floor will go down Tuesday, January 23, 2018, at 8 p.m. ET at the AT&T Center. The game will be televised live on TNT.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Tuesday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Cavaliers are 27-18 straight up and a horrible 12-32-1 against the spread, which gives an idea of just how badly this group has underperformed relative to expectations. Cleveland has covered in nine of 23 attempts on the road, which isn’t good but still better than its home performance. The Cavs have gone just 6-29-1 against the spread as the favorite but have covered in five of eight attempts as the underdog.
San Antonio is 30-17 straight up and 23-20-4 against the spread. The Spurs have gone 14-5-2 against the spread at home this season. San Antonio is 18-14-3 against the spread as the favorite and 5-6-1 as the underdog.
Injury Report
Leonard missed a big chunk of the season early on because of a quadriceps injury and then was sidelined with a shoulder ailment. The quadriceps issue has flared up again and Leonard once again isn’t playing.
He has only been on the court for nine games this season. Leonard has averaged 16.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per contest, numbers that are much lower than what he put up last season as a MVP candidate.
Leonard is hoping to be back sometime after the All-Star break, and while coach Gregg Popovich said his absence will go along indefinitely, Leonard is not expected to be shelved for the rest of the year. The Spurs won’t be able to contender without their star on the court in the playoffs.
While he is hoping to be back and playing well at that time, Leonard will miss this game, which hurts San Antonio’s chance at winning it.
Key Stat
148. That’s the amount of points the Cavaliers gave up last time out to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a blowout loss. It was an awful defensive effort and one Cleveland should be embarrassed by considering the level of talent on the team.
It continues a brutal recent stretch for the Cavaliers. They have now lost nine of their past 12 games, dropping to the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland’s defense must improve or else the team will have a tough time knocking off San Antonio.
Free NBA ATS Picks
Cleveland is really struggling and its players are openly wondering if the personnel is right to make a deep title run. The Cavs could try to shake things up at the deadline, but the roster should be similar to what it is now when they face the Spurs.
While San Antonio is playing at home, the absence of Leonard is critical. He is a marquee defender and capable of making life tough on James. Without Kawhi here to guard him, LeBron should have a big night and lead his team to a much-needed signature road win.
Keep an eye on the spread closely, as Cleveland could be the right choice to cover.
NBA Odds: Cavaliers 102, Spurs 98
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