The Cleveland Cavaliers are sputtering to the finish line, as they are hoping to hold off the Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. The reigning champions look a long way from the team that dispatched the Golden State Warriors in last year’s finals and need to turn it up the rest of the way.
Cleveland has been poor on the road this season and gets a tough test in a matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers are trying to grab the No. 4 seed in the West and need to win key games like this the rest of the way.
The Cavs have struggled so badly of late that they may be slight underdogs in this matchup, although it figures to be a competitive matchup.
This war on the floor will go down Saturday, March 18, 2017, at 8:30 p.m. ET at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The game will be televised live on ABC.
We'll have NBA odds available for this and every game on the NBA Saturday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Cavaliers are 44-22 straight up and 31-33-2 against the spread. Cleveland has gone 14-18 against the spread on the road and is barely over .500 straight up. The Cavs are 28-26-2 against the spread as the favorite but have only covered three times in 10 attempts as the underdog.
The Clippers are 40-27 straight up and 33-34 against the spread. Los Angeles has played in 31 home games on the season and covered in 16 of them. The Clippers are 21-24 against the spread as the favorite on the season and have covered in 11 of 21 tries as the underdog.
Key Stat
6. That’s the number of losses for the Cavaliers in their past 10 games as they have watched their lead in the East shrink to 2.5 games over the Celtics and three over the Wizards. Cleveland seems unlikely to lose the top spot as the season comes to its conclusion, but it needs to start playing better.
The Cavaliers have struggled since Kevin Love went down with an injury. The team has added reinforcements like Deron Williams, Kyle Korver and Derrick Williams, but they haven’t been able to stem the tide. The latest addition was Larry Sanders, who is talented but has been out of the NBA for a while.
The Cavs still have a great 1-2 punch in LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, but they are not playing like a team that is ready to defend its title.
Player to Watch
Jamal Crawford -- The Clippers have their Big Three of Chris Paul, DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin, but oftentimes their success in a game can be traced back to the bench. Crawford is the scoring leader of that group, able to provide instant offense in a pinch.
Crawford, the veteran shooting guard, is averaging 12.2 points per contest, shooting 40.7 percent from the field and 35 percent from three-point range. He is a streaky shooter but can carry a team in stretches.
The Cavaliers have the more talented starting lineup but if Crawford can lead the Clippers reserves to a big advantage, it could swing this outcome.
Free NBA ATS Pick
The Cavaliers have the title of defending champions but they have struggled now for a couple weeks. The road, in particular, has been a sore spot for much of the season.
The Clippers have played better since everyone got healthy but they still aren’t in the same league as the projected contenders. While Los Angeles will make this a good game, this one feels like a vintage LeBron James performance waiting to happen.
The Cavs have not played well on national television of late but James will be able to change that. His big game should lead Cleveland to a much-needed road win over the Clippers.
NBA Odds: Cavaliers 107, Clippers 103
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