Lakers visit Cavaliers in possible NBA Finals preview
By Hank Harris • Jan 20th, 2010 • Category: NBAIn a possible preview of this year’s NBA Finals, the Los Angeles Lakers battle the Cleveland Cavaliers as the Lakers head out on the road Thursday (8 pm ET, TNT).
Cleveland is a 3.5-point home favorite and the over/under total is 195.5 in NBA Betting at JustBet.
The teams have nearly identical records (Lakers 32-9 SU and 18-23 ATS; Cavaliers 32-11 SU and 20-22-1 ATS). The Lakers have won their past three, the Cavs their past two.
But head-to-head, Cleveland has a pretty clear advantage, going 7-3 straight up and against the spread over the past 10 meetings.
This is the second meeting of the season between the Lakers and Cavs. Cleveland handled the Lakers easily in their Christmas Day matchup at the Staples Center, winning 102-87 as a 6-point road dog. The score went under the total of 194.
The last time they squared off at the Quicken Loans Arena was Feb. 8 last season, when the Lakers won 101-91 as a 5-point road underdog. The score went under the total of 205.5.
Before departing Los Angeles, the Lakers finished off a quick, two-game homestand with a 98-92 win over the Orlando Magic on Monday, in the teams’ first meeting since the 2009 NBA Finals. The Lakers fell just shy of covering as a 6.5-point favorite, and the score went under the total of 200.5.
The Cavaliers beat the Toronto Raptors 108-100 on Tuesday night, failing to cover as 10-point home favorites. The score went over the total of 205.
Hank Harris is a professional writer with more than 25 years experience. He has written on sports betting and gambling for more than a decade of that time. He covers all sports, from the NFL to the NBA to NCAA College.
He is originally from the Boston area and is now based out of Las Vegas.
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