NBA Picks and Betting Tips: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Los Angeles Lakers

As Lebron James plays against his former team, this game includes two of the most surprising teams to start the season as they fight for first in their respective conferences. With Cleveland having won their last matchup against a very strong Knicks team, the Lakers took their first loss in a close game against Phoenix. This game will take place on October 30th at 4:30 A.M. IST  in the Crytpo.com area in Los Angeles. Below are our betting tips, key player props, and vital injuries to make an accurate prediction for this game. 

Key Betting Tips & Predictions

1. Cleveland Cavaliers vs Los Angeles Lakers Moneyline Pick

As the current money line for the Lakers is -110, seeing the Cavaliers at -114 shows that they're going to hit it with a higher chance of winning this game. Even though the Lakers have had a pretty solid record this season of hitting their moneyline, they will play one of the top offenses with someone as elite as Jared Vanderbilt on defense. Seeing that Lebron James' defense isn’t what it once used to be and Anthony Davis can be stopped by Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen inside, this outcome will be a lot different than what many would expect. As the Cavaliers have lost two straight in horrible fashion to the Lakers, they finally get an early season road game against Los Angeles they always seem to dominate. It is a big game for the Cavaliers to hit their line as they continue looking like one of the top contenders.

2.Cleveland Cavaliers vs Los Angeles Lakers Point Spread Pick

As the Lakers are 4-0 against the spread this season and seem to have done it in their only loss, this might be very different because they are going up against one of the most dynamic offenses in the NBA. With the Cavaliers starting to resolve their defense in a variety of ways, they will be able to get some big stops against a Lakers team that relies on their starting 5 for all the points. Given that the Cavaliers' spread is -4.5 at 1.98, it does seem a bit of a stretch given that the Lakers' spread is +5.0 at 1.89. With the Lakers having the higher shot to win this spread, even though the Cavaliers could win this game, Los Angeles will continue being undefeated at 5-0. 

3. Cleveland Cavaliers vs Los Angeles LakersOver/Under Pick (Total Points)

The total points under/over for this matchup is 227.5 points at 1.95. As the Cavaliers and Lakers enter as the two most formidable offensive units in the league, this should continue with them missing some big pieces on the defensive end. With them having a combined score of 214 as their lowest during 6 previous meetings, there will continue to be a lot more scoring in this matchup. With the Lakers improving their rebounding to create 2nd chance opportunities and Dalton Knceht’s rise, they will be going up against a Cavs offense that has Evan Mobley playing offense at a different level this year. This game score should be pretty high and exceed the 230-point mark for both sides combined. 

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Los Angeles Lakers Top Player Props

Lebron James scores over 22.5 points at 1.73: As the Lakers will once again run their offense through Lebron James and Anthony Davis, his scoring ability is something that remains top-notch as he is averaging 20.0 points per game. Although his game against the Suns wasn’t something great to look back on, James is shooting 39.1% from three and has turned into their second main shooter from deep. Seeing that he still has the chance to throw down posterizing dunks and drive in with ease, he is one player who can attack Evan Mobley or Jarrett Allen. With Anthony Davis probably going to be locked down by Allen in the paint, James will move away from Mobley and create a huge mismatch with Garland or Mitchell. Having this gives him abilities to score over 20 points against the Cavs. 

Evan Mobley scores over 15.5 points at 1.74: As the Cavs have finally found their first big man who can score, Mobley has become their 2nd main scorer behind Donovan Mitchell. As Garland and Mitchell have been able to find Mobley in the paint, his matchup against Rui Hachimura will be a huge different than the one he would have against Jared Vanderbilt. Even though Hachimura has crashed the boards well this year, Mobley is just way bigger and found his long-range shot this season too. With Evan Mobley being a huge part of this gameplan, expect him to have a very big night in the points department. 

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Los Angeles Lakers Injury News & Impact

Cleveland Cavaliers Injuries: As the Cavaliers are still missing their main small forward Max Strus, 12.2 points per game last year, it will be a major loss for them against a stronger Lakers defense. With someone like Rui Hachimura guarding that position, Dean Wade will have a tougher time guarding his presence from the three-point line and get fewer open shots with his lack of getting into space. Given this, the Cavs will have to keep relying on Donovan Mitchell to provide them offense from his shooting guard spot, while Darius Garland’s will continue being expanded. 

Los Angeles Lakers Injuries: With Jarred Vanderbilt out, the Lakers will miss one of their top defenders to guard Evan Mobley in the paint due to a knee injury. Seeing that his athleticism was key in stopping most forwards from scoring, Lebron James hasn’t proven to be a very strong defender this season and gets stops. Seeing this plus the fact Anthony Davis has to stay on Jarrett Allen for rebounding, could help the Cavs score 10+ more points than if they had Vanderbilt. 

Head-to-Head Trends

As the Cavaliers and Lakers have a 2-2 tie in their last 4 matchups against each other, their games have always tended to be blowouts on either side. With the Lakers being 1-1 at home, while Cleveland has the same record on the road, this game will be about which team jumps out to the early lead. With the Cavs being 4-6 against the spread against the Lakers in their last 10 matchups, this season seems like a year where they could potentially change it. Meanwhile, the Lakers have never failed to score 100 points in their previous four matchups and average around 110.5 points during the games. 

Betting Insights & Public Trends

According to the public trends, the betters are backing the Cavaliers to win this game against the Lakers at 53.3%. 

Final Prediction

As the Cavaliers head into Los Angeles where they beat them in an early season matchup last season, this is one of the times they look way superior to the Lakers. Starting this season 4-0, the Suns finally exposed the Lakers' defense by attacking Lebron James and Austin Reaves instead of dribbling through some like D’Angelo Russell that can cause traps. Seeing this and the ability for both Evan Mobley plus Jarrett Allen to grab 10+ boards a night each against any forwards, it could be a long night for the Lakers on one of their biggest positives this season. With Jaxson Hayes having to fight for the boards with Allen, he is not aggressive enough to bring down every board and Donovan Mitchell will hold the fort down in the backcourt. His ability to slash to the basket and pull up from 40 feet is a scary combo for a defense whose struggles were getting people due to winning. But, if the Lakers can lock in on defense and get Reaves on Garland, while Dalton Knecht continues shooting well it could be a different game. 

Our Prediction: The Cavs win, but Lakers hit +5.5 spread and the total over/under goes over 227.5 point