Tag: Cleveland Cavaliers

Cleveland Cavaliers at Philadelphia 76ers odds, lines, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s Cleveland Cavaliers at Philadelphia 76ers sports betting odds and lines, with NBA betting picks, tips and best bets.

The Cleveland Cavaliers (5-16) and Philadelphia 76ers (15-7) tip-off at Wells Fargo Center at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday night. We analyze the Cavaliers-76ers odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.

Place a legal sports bet on this NBA action or other games at BetMGM.

Cavaliers at 76ers: Key injuries

Cavaliers: PF Kevin Love (illness) is questionable, while SG Dylan Windler (shin) is out until mid-December.

76ers: C Joel Embiid (hip) and SG Josh Richardson (hamstring) are out. C Kyle O’Quinn (calf) remains out indefinitely, too.

Cavaliers at 76ers: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips

NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 12:45 p.m. ET.

Prediction

76ers 113, Cavaliers 93

Moneyline (ML)

The 76ers (-833) are overwhelming favorites, and there is no way to justify risking eight times your money for a small return. The Cavaliers (+550) are giant underdogs because they’re not a good team, and they might be without their best player, Love, who is under the weather.

New to sports betting? Every $1 wagered on a Philadelphia win profits $0.12 if the 76ers prevail. (Ex: Bet $10 to win $1.20, $20 to win $2.40, $83.33 to win $10).

Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

Take the 76ERS (-11.5, –115), even though they’ll be a little bit short-handed without Embiid. They’ll still be in good shape against the struggling Cavs.

Over/Under (O/U)

PASS. The Under has cashed in 19 of the past 27 meetings in this series, and 10 of the past 14 battles in Philadelphia. With Embiid out, and Love possibly joining him, the defense actually could be lacking. There is just too much uncertainty to wade into the total pool here.

Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Lakers chemistry on full display in photos from team plane following Portland win

Los Angeles Lakers team chemistry on full display in photos from team plane following win in Portland over Trail Blazers.

The three most successful teams that LeBron James has ever played for were the 2015-16 Cleveland Cavaliers along with both the 2011-12 and 2012-13 Miami Heat. While each of those teams were able to secure an NBA championship and stack wins during the regular-season, one key characteristic they also shared was chemistry throughout the locker room while in pursuit of those rings.

LeBron’s three title teams got along well with each other off the court during those seasons and won big because of it. If you followed those groups closely, it’s difficult to dismiss the similarities they seem to share so far with this year’s Los Angeles Lakers from that same chemistry perspective. After the 136-113 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday that extended L.A.’s record to 20-3, for example, veteran forward Jared Dudley posted the following pictures from the team plane that seemed to highlight a genuine camaraderie.

Dudley didn’t just post the final photo that featured each of his teammates who made the trip to Rip City. In a move that might have been similarly made by a 2015-16 Cavalier named Richard Jefferson, Dudley kept it light and fun by also posting a picture of his teammates preparing to take the shot that eventually hit social media.

It’s one small example of a characteristic like team chemistry that is impossible to quantify except for the fact that you’re able to recognize it sometimes if you’re paying attention. For anyone who has paid attention to LeBron’s teams over the years, this iteration of the James Gang appears to have those positive team chemistry characteristics for days. Just how far it will take them remains to be seen, but there’s a number of reasons to be bullish on this year’s Lakers so far including the simple fact that they appear to like each other.

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Cavaliers have ‘extensively scouted’ LaMelo Ball

The Cavaliers are high on Illawarra Hawks guard LaMelo Ball.

With the first 20 games of the NBA regular season in the books, teams are starting to figure out whether or not playoffs are a realistic goal. Sure, there are more than 60 games left in the season, but the teams at the bottom of the standings are probably in too deep of a hole to climb out of even this early in the season.

One of those teams is the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are 5-16 through the first 21 games of the season. With news that players are unhappy with John Beilein’s coaching style and Kevin Love is on the trading block, their record isn’t expected to get much better.

It’s for that reason the Cavaliers have already begun looking at prospects at the top of the draft, including LaMelo Ball, according to Sam Amico of Sports Illustrated:

Like all teams, the Cavs have already started planning for the draft. They are scouting college teams and international clubs. They have extensively scouted potential No. 1 overall pick and basketball celebrity LaMelo Ball, currently playing in Australia.

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard of the Cavs’ interest in Ball. In September, the Cavaliers were one of 27 NBA teams that flew to watch Ball and RJ Hampton at the NBL Blitz in Tazmania. It seems their interest has only grown since then.

The Cavaliers have spent their last two lottery picks on combo guards, but Ball would be the tallest and, most importantly, most talented one they’ve drafted to date. If the Cavaliers end up with a top-three pick, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Ball in Cleveland next season.

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LeBron James’ UNKNWN brand opens Wynwood-area Miami location

The clothing brand that LeBron James started is now opening up their own store in his old stomping grounds of South Beach.

The world of LeBron James is ever-expanding and on the list with his basketball accomplishments, his philanthropy and his entertainment exploits is a clothing brand he started with two friends of his that just opened a brand new location in Miami during the city’s famed Art Basel celebration of art around the city.

The store officially opened on Thursday morning and they are touting “edition products, collaborations, and coveted sneaker releases dropping every day of the opening weekend including exclusive collaboration items with Bape, Just Don, Chinatown Market, Pleasures, New Era, BornxRaised, Psychworld, New York Sunshine, as well as exclusive re-releases with Nike, Jordan, Vans x Rhude, Bearbrick, and more.”

James started the UNKNWN brand with his friends Jason Kanfer and Frankie Walker Jr., which the Miami-area store representing the growth of the brand they created in 2011. Their first storefront was already in Miami but the second location indicates the growth of their brand long after one of their founders, LeBron, left the city to take his talents back to Cleveland.

LeBron James: Carmelo Anthony’s NBA return is ‘beautiful, hits home’

James has long been an advocate for his friend Carmelo Anthony, but Anthony’s recent comeback managed to inspire the Los Angeles Laker.

LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony are set to face off for the 34th time in their intertwined NBA careers on Friday night when the Los Angeles Lakers come to visit Carmelo Anthony and the Portland Trail Blazers in an ESPN-televised affair.

As recently as a month ago, it looked like we would never get Game 34 between the No. 1 and No. 3 picks in the 2003 NBA draft. But since Anthony’s return, he’s helped spark the Trail Blazers to win four of their last five games and he won last week’s Western Conference Player of the Week award after putting up 22 points and seven rebounds per game in a 3-0 week.

The way that Anthony has performed after people “buried” him hits home for the man who cheekily dubs himself “The Washed King,” according to The Athletic’s Bill Oram and Jason Quick.

“It’s like, when people throwing stones on you and trying to bury you alive and you able to rise above that (expletive)?” James said. “That’s amazing. (expletive) kind of hit home. It’s a beautiful thing. Beautiful thing. Only the strong survive.”

Carmelo versus LeBron isn’t what it was in the earlier part of the decade but it’s still pretty incredible after all these years that they’re still going at it. As two of the three remaining members (Kyle Korver is the other) of the 2003 NBA Draft Class, it’s going to be a poignant moment for fans of basketball history no matter how the game goes. And if we get a regular season thriller between the two buddies for old time’s sake, all the better.

How the 20 players drafted after LeBron in 2003 fared in the NBA

The 20 players drafted after LeBron James in 2003 provided some stars and some total busts.

The Cleveland Cavaliers drafted LeBron James with the first pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. King James has dominated the NBA in his career, winning four MVP awards and three championships in his first 17 seasons, while he’s currently off to his best start ever as his Los Angeles Lakers are 19-3 after 22 games. But how did the players selected after he was chosen fare in their NBA careers?

2. Darko Milicic

NBAE Photo by D.Lippitt/Einstein/NBAE via Getty Images

Darko Milicic was chosen by the Detroit Pistons with a pick they acquired via the Vancouver Grizzlies in a trade for Otis Thorpe. Of the top five draft picks from 2003, he was the lone one to fail to become a mega-star in his NBA career. The 7-footer played for six teams and averaged six points and four per game rebounds in 468 games. Milicic now lives the farmer’s life in his native Serbia.

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Detroit Pistons at Cleveland Cavaliers odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Tuesday’s Detroit Pistons at Cleveland Cavaliers sports betting odds and lines, with NBA betting picks, tips and best bets.

The Detroit Pistons (7-13) and Cleveland Cavaliers (5-14) tip it up at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET. We analyze the Pistons-Cavaliers odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.

Place a legal sports bet on this NBA action or other games at BetMGM.

Pistons at Cavaliers: Key injuries

Pistons: SG Svi Mykhailiuk (knee) is expected to play, while SG Khyri Thomas (foot) is likely out a few more weeks. PG Reggie Jackson (spine) is also out until at least early January.

Cavaliers: SF Cedi Osman (back) and SF John Henson (hamstring) are each questionable, while SG Dylan Windler (shin) might be on the shelf another week.

Pistons at Cavaliers: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips

NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 8:20 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Cavaliers 105, Pistons 101

Moneyline (ML)

The CAVALIERS (+120) are a nice value at home as short dogs. Neither of these teams has been very hot lately, and the Pistons (-143) are a much bigger risk on the road, where they have been even worse.

New to sports betting? Every $1 wagered on a Cleveland win profits $1.20 if the Cavs prevail. (Ex: Bet $10 to win $12.00, $20 to win $24.00, $4.55 to win $10).

Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

Take the CAVALIERS (+2.5, –106) at home against the visiting Pistons (-2.5, -115). For whatever reason, Detroit has had a difficult time on the road against its Lake Erie rivals in Cleveland, going 1-6 against the spread in the past seven trips to C-Town. The home team is also 10-3 ATS in the previous 13 meetings in this series.

Over/Under (O/U)

The Over might be the trend if you look at past results in this series, but the UNDER 212.5 (+105) is the play lately for both teams. The Under is 4-0 in the past four road games for the Pistons, and 5-1 in the past six at home for the Cavaliers. The Under is also 5-2 in Detroit’s past seven against Eastern Conference opponents, while Cleveland has hit the Under in seven of its last 10 games within the conference.

Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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The record for every LeBron James team through the first 20 games of their seasons

The Lakers are 17-3, marking the second time a LeBron James-led team has gotten off to that hot a start.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ 17-3 start marks the second time in LeBron James’ 17-year career his team has played .850 ball through 20 games. Here’s a closer look at how each of the teams King James has been with and how they have fared through the first 20 games of their seasons.

2003-04: 5-15

David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images

LeBron’s rookie season saw the Cavaliers struggle from the start. They opened the season with a five-game losing streak and had an eight-game slide before getting to the 20-game mark at 5-15. In his NBA debut, LeBron had 25 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds and 4 steals against Sacramento.

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The HoopsHype Daily: Tristan Thompson is playing great basketball; that’s made him a potential trade candidate

Playing some of the best basketball of his career, Thompson is a major trade candidate for contenders seeking rebounding and toughness.

TRISTAN ON THE BLOCK? Cavs big man Tristan Thompson is playing some of the best basketball of his career, averaging 14.1 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.2 blocks per game. Because of that, and the fact he’s on a rebuilding Cleveland team with a 5-14 record, he’s someone that often pops up in trade rumors.

Not so fast, though, cautions Cavaliers beat writer Chris Fedor, who says Cleveland would like to extend Thompson and make him a part of their future core because they love his leadership and veteran presence. At the same time, Thompson is a free agent next summer, and if the Cavs don’t get the sense they’ll be able to re-sign him, he could be on the move ahead of February’s trade deadline. He’ll have a ton of suitors among the contenders, particularly those who lack toughness and rebounding inside.

After all, we’ve already seen him help a team win a title in 2016 thanks to his useful skill set, so could be quite popular if Cleveland does make him available.

THIS WEEKEND IN THE ASSOCIATION: Two MVP frontrunners continued playing at a ridiculously high level, while a 10-game winning streak ended.

🐎 Luka Doncic’s Mavericks and LeBron James’ Lakers clashed in L.A. on Sunday, and the outing only slightly disappointed due to the fact that it was a blowout. And considering the Lakers came into Sunday riding a 10-game win streak, it was surprising to see them be the ones getting blown out at home. Doncic was fantastic in the contest, scoring 27 points, securing nine rebounds and dishing out 10 assists. 

Three of Doncic’s 27 points came in the form of this beautiful step-back jumper he hit on LeBron, who he still considers an idol. 

🚀 James Harden dropped 60 points against the Hawks on Saturday, and it only took him 24 field-goal attempts to get there. It’s the highest-scoring performance since 1983-84 for a player with that few shot attempts. What’s more, Harden also became just the third player in league history to have a 60-plus point game in three consecutive seasons, joining Wilt Chamberlain (1960-1963) and Elgin Baylor (1959-1962) on the illustrious list.

ALDRIDGE TRADE VALUE: The Spurs are having a rough year, one that could lead to them shipping away some of their veterans. We spoke to various NBA executives to determine what seven-time All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge’s trade value might look like.

NO TRADE FUN: We’re on Day 139 without a single trade in the NBA. That’s the longest stretch since 1968, without counting lockout years. It’s been pretty boring, but things could pick up once Dec. 15 passes, since most of the players signed this past summer will become trade-eligible then.

ROTATION PLAYER DOWN: Magic forward Al-Farouq Aminu suffered a meniscus injury over the weekend, and will be out indefinitely.

🤦 One of the worst signings of last summer, Aminu is under contract in Orlando for three years – with a player option on the last season, no less! – and is owed $29.2 million. He’s averaging 4.3 points so far for the Magic, and has only added to the logjam of offensively-challenged, defensively-gifted forwards on Orlando’s roster.

TOP ROOKIE SIDELINED: One of the early frontrunners for Rookie of the Year, Ja Morant will be listed as week-to-week as he recovers from a back injury.

CHANGES IN CHICAGO? After years of futility in Chicago, it looks like Bulls general manager Gar Forman might finally be on the hot seat. In a season where some thought they could be a potential playoff dark horse, Chicago is 6-14 and has the league’s eighth-worst net rating.

RESURGENT DWIGHT: Lakers big man Dwight Howard, who is enjoying a solid season off the bench for L.A. in a reduced role that he’s done well to buy into, wanted the chance to prove himself for his former team, the Wizards, before they traded him. He never got the chance to.

DION BACK: Heat guard Dion Waiters apologized privately to teammates, and publicly to fans, for his actions that led to his 10-game suspension. The suspension is now over, but Waiters was still listed as inactive for Miami on Sunday, in the first game he could have returned. With how well the Heat are playing, it’s tough to see Waiters cracking the rotation anytime soon.

​EVERYONE LOVES DIRK: Retired Mavs legend Dirk Nowitzki attended Sunday’s Lakers/Mavericks contest, and during a first-quarter timeout, L.A. honored him with a tribute video, which Lakers fans followed up with a standing ovation. Lovely touch from Los Angeles, and Dirk very much appreciated it.

BOOKER ON FIRE: …in practice. Have you ever wanted to see Devin Booker hit 45 straight threes? Now’s your chance. (It’s oddly soothing.)

SALARY QUIZ: WHO’S THIS NBA PLAYER? 🤔

Click here for the answer.

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The night LeBron James scored 57 points against the Washington Wizards

Remembering the night LeBron James scored 57 points against the Washington Wizards as his Los Angeles Lakers get set to meet Washington tonight in L.A.

The Los Angeles Lakers are set to welcome the Washington Wizards tonight for a chance to move to 17-2 on the young season. The Lakers are favored by double-digits in the contest and expected to make short work of the 6-10 Wizards who continue to play without their injured All-Star point guard, John Wall. But while this year’s version of LeBron James will enter the game leading the league in assists, it was only two years ago this month that James exploded for one of the most prolific scoring nights of his NBA career.

On November 3, 2017, LeBron scored the second-most points he ever has in a game when he hung 57 on the Wizards during a 130-122 Cleveland Cavaliers victory. James shot 23-of-34 from the field, connected on all nine free throws, and made 2-of-4 triples to finish with a game-high scoring effort only bested by the 61 points he totaled in 2014 against the Charlotte Hornets. LeBron would also collect 11 rebounds, dish out seven assists and snag three steals during the historic effort.

LeBron scored in a variety of ways that night against the Wizards. He backed down Bradley Beal for a bully-ball bankshot off the left block. He caught backdoor passes for reverse layups at the rim from teammates like Jeff Green. He stripped Kelly Oubre Jr. on the defensive end to create transition buckets and knocked down triples when big men like Martin Gortat switched out onto him behind the arc. King James was simply a movie that night, providing one of the most remarkable scoring efforts he’s ever offered the NBA community.

“Every shot that I took, I felt like it was going in,” LeBron told The Associated Press after the game.

That night against Washington–after scoring a career high 61 in 2014–James scored one more point than he did against the Toronto Raptors in 2005 (56 points) and two more points than he scored against the Milwaukee Bucks in 2009 (55 points). LeBron’s 52-point effort in 2005 against the Bucks currently rounds out the five highest-scoring games of his 17-year career.

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