The Lakers surprised everyone with their victory over Golden State on Sunday. Heck, they probably even surprised themselves. But make no mistake, they are not very good. Cleveland gets LA in the second of a back-to-back and could be fatigued, but that likely won’t matter.
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SCHEDULING
The Cavaliers set out on a four-game road trip following a disappointing 106-103 loss to Memphis, which prevented them from sweeping their four-game homestand. Cleveland is faced with two back-to-back sets on this trip and plays the four games in a six-day span. The game with the Lakers comes a day after opening the trip in Sacramento and the Cavs will spend the next two days in southern California before tangling with the Clippers on Sunday. The trip closes with a Monday night game in Utah. Cleveland is 7-1 SU and 5-2-1 ATS in the second game of its past eight back-to-back sets,
In what’s been another miserable season for the Lakers, at least they can pound their chests knowing they are just one of six teams to beat the Warriors. The Lakers accomplished the feat with an impressive 112-95 win on Sunday, playing as a 17.5-point underdog. No one is going to mistake LA for being a playoff contender, but they did improve to 2-2 over four games following that win, so maybe there is hope. The Lakers will be a rested group having a full day off between the past four games and in the middle of an eight-game homestand.
INJURIES
Backup point guard Mo Williams isn’t travelling on the Cavs road trip and is expected to miss at least another week due to a left knee injury. Coach Tyronn Lue will rest LeBron James down the stretch and the second of a back-to-back against the Lakers is an opportune time.
Forward Anthony Brown had played over 30 minutes in three of four games before injuring his foot Friday against the Hawks. He’s expected to miss several weeks after an MRI revealed a stress reaction. Also, guard Lou Williams continues to recover from a strained hamstring and is day-to-day.
KEY MATCHUP
Kyrie Irving wants to win in Cleveland. After an NBA reporter tweeted that the point guard no longer wanted to play in Cleveland, Irving doused that rumor by scoring 22 points, handing out six assists, grabbing three rebounds and making all 11 free throws in a win over Indiana. The report came at a time when the Cavs were in the midst of a two-game losing streak, one that featured a loss to the Wizards without the services of LeBron James. Irving feels the Cavs get negative attention because of the talent they have. He followed the Pacers game with two more 20-point outings as the Cavs extended their win streak to three, further squelching the talk. And let’s not forget that Irving is just nine months removed from surgery to repair a fractured kneecap and he’s still been out longer than he’s been in the lineup. He increased his scoring average by nearly six points per game from January to February.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and then, as the saying goes. And the Lakers found a big one on Sunday with their upset of the Warriors. But let’s not mistake them for a team that’s suddenly become good. The Lakers are still an awful basketball team and they got plenty of help from the Dubs. It wasn’t anything LA did, rather what Golden State didn’t do. Let’s be honest, if the teams played 10 more times, my money would be on the Warriors. What that game will do is make LA’s opponents take notice and get geeked up a bit more, so the victory will work against the Lakers. Keep in mind that the Lakers lost to Denver and were pounded by Atlanta leading up to the Golden State game, so it’s not like we saw improvements and could see that coming.
Cleveland 113, Los Angeles 100
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BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! The game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers is slated for Thursday, March 10, 2016, at 10:30 p.m. ET at Staples Center. The contest will be broadcast nationally on TNT.
