Suns vs. Cavaliers Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Wednesday, Dec. 31

Betting odds, pick and prediction for the Phoenix Suns-Cleveland Cavaliers matchup on Wednesday night.

The Phoenix Suns and guard Devin Booker are dogs on Wednesday. / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns have won four games in a row and are now just two games out of the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference. 

A surprise team this season, Phoenix has been one of the better defensive teams in the league, and it’s had some unlikely contributors like Collin Gillespie, and some players step up – like Dillon Brooks – even though Jalen Green has missed almost all of the season with a hamstring issue.

On Wednesday, the Suns are road dogs against the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are just two games over .500. The Cavs have fallen way short of expectations so far in the 2025-26 season, as they’ve already lost 16 games after losing just 18 in the entire 2024-25 campaign. 

Donovan Mitchell and company have struggled against the spread, posting the worst record in the league, but they did pull off an upset win over San Antonio earlier this week. Can the Cavs ride the momentum from that into this home date with the Suns?

Let’s take a look at the odds, my favorite player prop and a prediction for Wednesday’s afternoon contest. 

Suns vs. Cavaliers Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

• Suns +5.5 (-105)
• Cavs -5.5 (-115)

Moneyline

• Suns: +195
• Cavs: -238

Total

• 235.5 (Over -112/Under -108)

Suns vs. Cavaliers How to Watch

• Date: Wednesday, Dec. 31
• Time: 3:30 p.m. EST
• Venue: Rocket Arena
• How to Watch (TV): NBA TV
• Suns record: 19-13
• Cavs record: 18-16

Suns vs. Cavaliers Injury Reports

Suns Injury Report

• Grayson Allen – doubtful
• Ryan Dunn – questionable
• Jordan Goodwin – available
• Jalen Green – out

Cavs Injury Report

• Chris Livingston – out
• Sam Merrill – probable
• Luke Travers – out
• Larry Nance Jr. – out
• Max Strus – out

Suns vs. Cavaliers Best NBA Prop Bet

Cavs Best NBA Prop Bet

• Evan Mobley 8+ Rebounds (-160) 

In today’s best NBA props column for SI Betting, I shared why I’m buying Mobley against Phoenix: 

Evan Mobley has been on a minutes limit since returning from a calf injury for the Cavs, but he did start and play nearly 29 minutes in his last game.

So, I like him to reach eight or more boards on Wednesday against the Phoenix Suns, especially since the reigning Defensive Player of the Year is averaging 9.0 rebounds per game this season.

Mobley has a solid floor when it comes to this prop, as he’s picked up at least eight boards in 21 of his 28 appearances this season and is averaging 16.0 rebound chances per game.

Suns vs. Cavaliers Prediction and Pick

The Cavs have a worse record than the Suns, who have won four in a row, and Cleveland is just 4-6 straight up in its last 10 games.

Even with Mobley back in action, the Cavs have some concerning underlying numbers – 14th in defensive rating, 15th in effective field goal percentage – for a team that thinks it is a title contender this season.

The Suns have built their season on the defensive end, ranking 10th in defensive rating and seventh in opponent points per game. 

Cleveland has the worst against the spread record in the NBA (11-23) this season, and it’s been awful at home, ranking dead last in ATS record (5-14) with an average scoring margin of just +2.5. 

Meanwhile, the Suns are 10-8 against the spread as underdogs, and they’ve won seven of those games outright. 

I think Phoenix will be able to hang around with this spread set at two possessions on Wednesday. 

Pick: Suns +5.5 (-105 at DraftKings)

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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.

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