LeBron James has the ability to change the fortunes of a franchise by himself, and no one knows that better than the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs won a title with James but he has left the organization twice in free agency. The most recent switch was this offseason when James joined the Los Angeles Lakers, and he will head back to Cleveland this week for a game against his former team.
LeBron grew up in the area and even though he’s on a different team there might be more people in the building rooting for him than the home team. The Cavs are predictably struggling without James and will be the underdogs in this matchup despite being at home.
Los Angeles has found a groove after a shaky start and hopes to pick up another win in this matchup in NBA wagering.
This NBA basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers will be held at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio at 8 p.m ET on Wednesday, November 21st, 2018. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN.
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Odds Analysis
The Lakers are 9-7 on the season. They have played eight road games this year and won half of them. Los Angeles has won seven of its past 10 games overall heading into this matchup.
The Cavaliers are just 2-12 on the year, which is the worst record in the NBA. Cleveland has both of its wins at home but has also lost five there. The Cavs have had trouble scoring this season, which isn’t a surprise after James’ departure.
Injury Report
Cavaliers forward Kevin Love is now the team’s best player but he is out with a toe injury. There is no clear timetable for his return and Cleveland is going to struggle badly as long as he is out. Love is averaging 19.0 points and 13.5 rebounds per game this year.
The Lakers are not going to have point guard Rajon Rondo for this game or the foreseeable future after he recently broke his hand. Rondo is back with the team after surgery but will only be a vocal leader from the bench, not the court.
Rondo is averaging 8.5 points, 6.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game on the season. Lonzo Ball should see more playing time in Rondo’s absence. Ball is averaging 8.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists on the season. Ball is only shooting 39 percent from the field and will need to improve on that number if he is to ever live up to the hype of being a No. 2 overall pick.
Key Stat
51. That’s the number of points James scored last time out in a win over Miami, another one of his former teams. If this is going to be a motivated revenge mini-tour the Cavaliers better be prepared for James to dominate again.
He shot 19-of-31 from the field against the Heat and hit 6-of-8 from three-point range. James added eight rebounds and a pair of steals. For the season, James is averaging 27.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.2 assists per contest.
The Cavaliers will try to slow him down but the only thing that can derail James in this one will be a poor shooting night as Cleveland has no one that can defend him.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The Lakers will need to win this one comfortably in order to cover the spread as the oddsmakers know a bunch of people are going to back James in this matchup. Even so, look for Los Angeles to do so. James’ exit was a bit bumpy and he will assuredly be ready to dominate. The Cavs will miss Love and won’t have anyone to turn to when they need offense in NBA wagering.
NBA ATS Pick: Los Angeles Lakers 123, Cleveland Cavaliers 109
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