Can Cavaliers extend season-high winning streak and cover vs. Clippers?
The Cavaliers will look to extend their season-high winning streak to 12 games when they host the Clippers on Thursday night. The Cavaliers are 9-2 against the spread during their current 11-game winning streak after failing to cover as 17-point home favorites in a 97-84 victory against the 76ers on Monday.
Cleveland had beaten the spread in each of its previous three games before the win over the 76ers and got just five points on 1-of-7 shooting from Kevin Love, who did grab 15 rebounds. Cavaliers star LeBron James also struggled with his shot, making 6-of-17 while dishing out 11 assists and committing a team-high six turnovers. Point guard Kyrie Irving led the team with a game-high 24 points three games after scoring a career-high 55, and he totaled 37 in a 126-121 road victory against the Clippers on January 16 in which Cleveland closed as an 8.5-point underdog at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
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Los Angeles continues an eight-game road trip at Quicken Loans Arena following a 102-100 loss to the Brooklyn Nets as an 8.5 point favorite on Monday. The Clippers are 2-2 straight-up and 1-3 ATS through their first four games on the road trip, and they wasted a monster effort from center DeAndre Jordan in the setback to the Nets. Jordan tallied a team-high 22 points and 20 rebounds despite making only 2-of-12 shots from the free-throw line, with Brooklyn’s Jarrett Jack making the game-winning shot with 1.3 seconds left. Los Angeles shooting guard J.J. Redick played just four minutes due to back spasms and is expected to miss some time. As a team, the Clippers missed 17 of 25 free throws and combined with the Nets for the worst-shooting game ever at the charity stripe.
The Cavaliers have won six of the last nine meetings with the Clippers heading into Thursday night's betting matchup, going 7-2 ATS with the under cashing in five of the past seven. The last meeting went sailing over the closing number of 206.5, but the under has gone 6-3 in the last nine games overall for the Clippers since then, including five of six. The under is also 7-2 in Cleveland’s past nine since the last meeting, including six straight heading into this game.
