The Cavaliers have been playing a different brand of basketball under new head coach Tyronn Lue. Gone are the days of Cleveland walking the ball up the court and playing at a slower pace. Lue wants the Cavs to play an up tempo game and his new offense will get its first real test against a contender when they host San Antonio on Saturday night.
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TRAVEL
Cleveland is the host in this one but is at a major disadvantage in the travel area. While San Antonio gets two nights to rest after demolishing Houston on Wednesday night, the Cavs have to play in Detroit the night before this one and then at Indiana two days after. The quick turnaround coupled with the Cavaliers learning to play at a quicker pace will make this one even more difficult for LeBron and company.
KEY MATCHUP
The Spurs have been a thorn in LeBron's side for quite some time and if not for a ridiculous Ray Allen three pointer, he would have no wins of consequence against San Antonio.
He is 18-19 against the Spurs over the course of his career and has been flummoxed by them in both Miami and Cleveland. LeBron is the best player in the league at the end of the day, and although he seems ambivalent about how Lue wants Cleveland to play, his size and speed in transition is terrifying to defend against.
Against the Suns on Wednesday, the ease with which they can beat teams in this fashion was evident when LeBron hit 87.5 percent of his shots and doled out nine assists in an easy 22 point victory.
LaMarcus Aldridge was probably the best signing of the offseason and he has already paid dividends for the Spurs. With the aging Tim Duncan resting often, Aldridge is filling Duncan's spot in the lineup admirably and putting up similar numbers to The Big Fundamental. Duncan sat out of the Spurs' blowout win over the Rockets on Wednesday night while Aldridge led the team with 25 points and 10 rebounds, including six offensive rebounds.
The combination of Aldridge and Kawhi Leonard in the frontcourt has been devastatingly effective this season and is the top reason the Spurs will remain title contenders after Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker have retired.
LIVE BETTING SCENARIO
San Antonio has been an awesome team for NBA bettors this year with a 31-15 ATS mark away from the Alamodome. The Cavs haven't treated their backers so well with a 19-23-2 record ATS but the last time these two teams met on January 14, Cleveland was able to cover the six point spread.
Both teams have a proclivity for games going under the total. The under is 24-20 in Cavaliers’ games this season and 24-21-1 in Spurs’ games. Unders have cashed frequently in recent Cleveland games as well with five of the last eight games combining to go under the total.
It will be interesting to see who Popovich plays in this one and if he changes his tactics to defend the Cavs' new offense. Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili only have a limited amount of gas left in the tank, and Duncan especially has needed the rest, already sitting out nine games this year.
Popovich plays things close to the vest, so it's important to turn this one on a little early to see if the Spurs will be without anyone's service.
After that, watch how the Spurs' guards defend the Cavs in transition, particularly Manu and Parker. If they are getting beat consistently by Kyrie Irving and LeBron then back the Cavaliers on the readjusted pointspread.
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Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! Bet on the NBA today as the San Antonio Spurs and the Cleveland Cavaliers square off Saturday, January 30, 2016 at 8:30 p.m. ET at Quicken Loans Arena. The matchup will be televised nationally on ABC.
