Suns vs. Cavaliers Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for MLK Day (Monday, Jan. 20)

The Cavs are 20-2 at home and 14-8 against the spread.

The Cavs are 20-2 at home and 14-8 against the spread. / John Hefti-Imagn Images

The Phoenix Suns have won five of their last six games and are back to the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference entering Monday's marquee matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

Cleveland has a 6.5-game lead on the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference, and it’s only dropped six games all season long. 

Oddsmakers have set the Cavs as sizable favorites on Monday – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day – even though Evan Mobley (calf strain) has been ruled out.

The Suns are hoping to get Bradley Beal (questionable) back in action on Monday, but they will have Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, which is a great sign. The Suns are 19-7 when Booker and Durant both play this season and just 2-13 when one of both of them is out. 

Here’s a full breakdown of the odds, players to watch in the prop market and my prediction for Monday’s matchup. 

Suns vs. Cavaliers Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

• Suns +7.5 (-112)
• Cavs -7.5 (-108)

Moneyline

• Suns: +230
• Cavs: -285

Total

• 236 (Over -110/Under -110)

Suns vs. Cavaliers How to Watch

• Date: Monday, Jan. 20
• Time: 3:30 p.m. EST
• Venue: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
• How to Watch (TV): Bally Sports Ohio, Arizona’s Family Sports
• Suns record: 21-20
• Cavs record: 35-6

Suns vs. Cavaliers Injury Reports

Suns Injury Report

• Bradly Beal – questionable
• TyTy Washington – out
• Jusuf Nurkic – out
• Jalen Bridges – out

Cavs Injury Report

• Evan Mobley – out
• Emoni Bates – out
• Isaac Okoro – out
• Luke Travers – out

Suns vs. Cavaliers Best NBA Prop Bets 

Phoenix Suns Best NBA Prop Bet

• Tyus Jones OVER 5.5 Assists (+110)

While the potential return of Beal could eat into Tyus Jones’ workload, the Suns point guard is averaging 6.2 assists per game on the season and has cleared 5.5 dimes in four of his last five games.

The Cavs are a solid defense (11th in defensive rating), but they are in the middle of the pack when it comes to opponent assists per game. I don’t mind taking a shot on Jones at plus money to reach his season average tonight. 

Cleveland Cavaliers Best NBA Prop Bet

• Jarrett Allen OVER 10.5 Rebounds (-130)

This could be a huge game on the glass for Allen now that Mobley is out of commissions.

Allen enters this game averaging 10.0 rebounds per game, and he’s facing a Phoenix squad that is in the bottom 10 in the NBA in both rebounding percentage and opponent rebounds per game. In 41 games without Mobley since the youngster joined the franchise, Allen is averaging 11.5 rebounds per game. 

Suns vs. Cavaliers Prediction and Pick

As good as the Suns have been with Durant and Booker in the lineup, I can’t get behind them here.

Phoenix is just 3-7 against the spread as a road underdog this season, posting an average scoring margin of worse than -11 points per game. Now, they have to take on a Cleveland team that is 20-2 straight up and 14-8 against the spread at home. 

The Cavs may not have Mobley, but they are more than capable of replacing him with Dean Wade, Georges Niang and others. While they aren’t the defensive players that Mobley is, they do give the Cavs an offensive punch from beyond the arc. 

The Suns are playing better as of late, but they still have the second-worst record in the NBA against the spread. 

In a road matchup with one of the best teams in the league, I’m not buying the Suns and their No. 22 defense to cover. 

Pick: Cavs -7.5 (-108)

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.