The Cleveland Cavaliers continue to struggle down the stretch, and there are legitimate questions as to whether they have a real shot at defending their NBA title. They still sit in the top spot in the Eastern Conference but are only a game ahead of the Boston Celtics. Cleveland is hanging on by a thread and is facing a tough game against the San Antonio Spurs next week.
The Spurs seem pretty locked in to the No. 2 seed in the West and are a serious contender for the championship. This could potentially be a preview of an NBA Finals matchup, and San Antonio is playing better at this point.
The Spurs should be solid favorites although a team with LeBron James should never be totally counted out.
This war on the floor will go down Monday, March 27, 2017, at 8 p.m. ET at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. The game will be televised live on TNT.
We'll have NBA odds available for this and every game on the NBA Monday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Spurs are 54-16 straight up and 37-32-1 against the spread. They have played in 33 home games on the season and have covered in 17 of them. San Antonio is 33-31-1 against the spread as the favorite and has only been an underdog five times on the year.
The Cavaliers are 46-24 straight up and 31-37-2 against the spread. Cleveland has played in 35 road games and has only covered in 14 of them. The Cavaliers are 3-8 against the spread as the underdog on the year.
Key Stat
5-7. That’s Cleveland’s record for the month of March so far. The Cavaliers’ No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference standings may be in jeopardy during this final stretch of games.
Cleveland lost tight ones to both Boston and Houston earlier this season and chose to rest LeBron James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving against the Clippers on March 18th and were subsequently blown out without its superstars. The team also fell to James’ former team Miami twice this month.
Cleveland is still the favorite in the Eastern Conference, but the Celtics are closing in and now sit just a game back. A win against the Spurs would be a nice boost for the Cavs this week.
Player to Watch
Kawhi Leonard -- The Spurs small forward finished with a season-high 41 points against Cleveland in the first meeting between these two teams on January 21st. He had six points in the overtime period which boosted the Spurs to a 118-115 win over Cleveland.
That performance came during a hot period for Leonard, capping a six-game streak where he scored 30 points or more. He is averaging a team-high 26 points on the season.
Leonard has been playing well this month as well, starting March off with four straight games where he put up 30 points or more, including scoring 39 against the Rockets on March 6th. He hasn’t been quite as fiery the last few weeks, but will be looking or another big game against Cleveland on Monday.
Free NBA ATS Pick
The Cavaliers have struggled for a long stretch and now must go on the road to play a great foe. Both teams have been resting players of late. If each side is full strength, the Spurs will surely have the advantage.
Take San Antonio to win this one, and it should cover as long as all the stars are playing.
NBA Odds: Spurs 107, Cavaliers 99
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