The Washington Wizards (7-3) travel to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse Wednesday to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers (7-4). Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Wizards at Cavaliers odds and lines, and make our expert NBA picks, predictions and bets.
The Cavaliers are coming into this game red hot as the winners of four straight. The Cavaliers defeated the Knicks by 17 in their last outing with potential All-Star and Player of the Week C Jarrett Allen hunkering down the paint.
They’ve held their opponent under 110 points for five consecutive games, but doing so against the G Bradley Beal-led Wizards will not be easy. Beal is one of the most prolific scorers in the NBA.
He put up 30 for the Wizards in their most recent loss to the Milwaukee Bucks Sunday. They’ve topped 110 in two of their last four outings, making this a prime matchup for both sides.
Wizards at Cavaliers odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:07 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Wizards -150 (bet $150 to win $100) | Cavaliers +122 (bet $122 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Wizards -2.5 (-120) | Cavaliers +2.5 (-105)
- Over/Under (O/U): 208.5 (O: -112 | U: -108)
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Wizards at Cavaliers key injuries
Wizards
- PF Rui Hachimura (not with team) out
- C Thomas Bryant (knee) out
- PF Davis Bertans (ankle) out
Cavaliers
- PF Kevin Love (health and safety protocols) out
- PF Lauri Markkanen (health and safety protocols) out
- PG Collin Sexton (knee) out
- SF Isaac Okoro (hamstring) questionable
Wizards at Cavaliers odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Wizards 107, Cavaliers 101
Money line
PASS on the money line with a slight lean to Washington (-150) because I do think they’ll come out on top.
The points offer better value though, especially since most NBA games have fouling at the end if they’re within a couple of points. Look toward the spread for more value.
Against the spread
BET on the WIZARDS -2.5 (-120) as the best value in this game. The Cavaliers are coming into Wednesday extremely short-handed with three of their best scorers out.
While the Cavaliers have a marginally better offensive rating, the Wizards defensive rating is the fifth-best in the league. The Wizards should be able to lock up Allen behind PF Montrezl Harrell and C Daniel Gafford. With Beal winning the battle in the backcourt, the more skilled team — which is this instance is Washington — should come out on top.
The Cavs have the sixth-best offensive rebounding rate while the Wizards have the seventh-best defensive rebounding rate. Limiting Cleveland’s second chance opportunities will be another reason why the Wizards come out on top.
Over/Under
“LEAN” to the UNDER 208.5 (-108) as I don’t trust Cleveland’s offense without its best playmaker. Love and Markkanen are both top-seven scoring options, and Sexton is the top scorer for the Cavs.
They should struggle to score without those three suiting up. The Cavaliers already have the fourth highest turnover rate and not having experienced scorers won’t help the cause.
On the other side though is Beal, so that’s why one should only consider this for a small unit. However, Washington is just 15th in offensive rating, so despite having a top-tier scorer, they haven’t been overly dominant on that end of the court.
That said, with the injuries and rebounding, I’d lean the Under in this one.
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