There are only a few weeks remaining in the regular season but there is still much to be determined in the playoff standings in both the Western and Eastern Conferences. The Cleveland Cavaliers and New Orleans Pelicans are among the teams jockeying for position as they prepare to face off in an important clash this week.
The Pelicans have put together a better-than-expected season after losing star big man DeMarcus Cousins for the season due to injury and should make the playoffs, but would love to get home court advantage in the first round. A road win in this one would help that cause but the Cavaliers should be the favorites to take care of business in NBA basketball odds.
Don't miss the hardwood action from the Quicken Loans Arena at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, March 30, 2018. Catch every moment of the game live on ESPN.
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Odds Analysis
The Pelicans are 43-32 straight up and 40-34-1 against the spread. New Orleans has covered a majority of the time on the road, doing so in 23 of 37 attempts. The Pelicans are 17-16 against the spread as the underdog on the year.
The Cavaliers are 44-30 straight up and 26-47-1 against the spread. Cleveland is just 10-25-1 against the spread at home this year and 15-42-1 attempting to cover as the favorite. The Cavaliers will aim to buck those trends and not only win this game but also cover the spread in NBA basketball wagering.
Injury Report
Kevin Love -- Cleveland’s star forward has been placed in concussion protocol after suffering an injury in Tuesday’s loss to Miami. He has been ruled out of Wednesday’s game against the Hornets, but it’s unclear at this point how long he will miss.
He will need to pass a series of league-mandated steps before he can return. Love was elbowed in the mouth by Heat center Jordan Mickey on Tuesday and after showing signs of a concussion, did not return to play in the second half.
Love is averaging 17.7 points per game for Cleveland this year and is the leading rebounder with 9.2 a game. He missed 21 straight games earlier this season with a fractured hand and just returned to the court on March 19th.
Previous Meeting
The Pelicans defeated the Cavs by 22 points the first time these two teams met back in October. The 123-101 win was after an impressive performance by New Orlean’s star players, especially Cousins, who ended the night with a triple double, including 29 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
Cousins endured a season-ending Achilles injury in January so things could look a bit different this time around. Anthony Davis finished with 30 points and 14 rebounds and Jrue Holiday added 29 points and seven assists in the win.
New Orleans led by 13 points at halftime and never let off the gas, outscoring Cleveland 34-18 in the fourth quarter to close out the victory. Love, who remains questionable for the rematch, finished with a team-high 26 points and 11 rebounds for the Cavs and LeBron James added 18 points and eight assists.
Free NBA ATS Picks
If Love cannot play, the spread should be pretty small in favor of Cleveland. The Cavaliers have LeBron James leading the way and should be able to pick up the win, but if the oddsmakers have too much faith in them, the Pelicans seem like the better choice to cover in NBA basketball spreads.
Consider the “under” as the players’ legs are getting tired this late in the season and the teams may prefer to settle into a more half-court style of play.
NBA Odds: Cavaliers 104, Pelicans 102
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