NBA: Los Angeles Clippers VS Cleveland Cavaliers Pick and Predictions 01/29/2023

Game: 7:10 PM ET,  Sunday, January 29th, 2023

Venue: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, Cleveland, Ohio

TV:  NBA League Pass

Clippers: 27-24, 5th place Western Conference

Cavaliers: 30-21, 5th place Eastern Conference

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Cavs -8.5, O/U 214.5

PointsBet: Point Spread: Cavs -8.5, O/U 214.5

Fanduel: Point Spread: Cavs -8, O/U 215

Clippers: SF Kawhi Leonard, PF Paul George, C Ivica Zubac, SG Luke Kennard, PG Terence Mann

Cavaliers: PF Evan Mobley, SF Isaac Okoro, C Jarrett Allen, SG Caris LaVert, PG Darius Garland

An all-out battle of sleeping GIANTS.  No joke, both these teams are in 5th place in their respective conferences… and both have the rosters to move up in the standings and possibly kick sand in the face of the teams that are currently above them. Both these teams got to 5th place by winning more than they have lost.  Both these teams have not won as many games as they were expected to… BECAUSE of those good roster. The Los Angeles Clippers were pre-season favorites to win the NBA Championship (as Vegas ranked them)... and they have not come close to displaying that on the floor.  The idea of making them favorites was based on the fact that for the last 18 months SG Kawhi Leonard, SF Paul George, and bench SG/SF Norman Powell have been injured monsters waiting to form a trio of killers… only so far this season?… they have still not really played many games together because of recovery, rest, re-injury, rest again, and arithmetic…  The result is a Clipper team that we have not seen reach full expression… Not exactly the favorites anymore… They still do have the same roster though.  The Cleveland Cavaliers killed the offseason by adding superstar SG Donovan Mitchell to budding young star PG Darius Garland and a duo of quality big men in C Jarrett Allen and PF Evan Mobely… Why aren’t they higher than 5th place?... The Celtics, 76ers, Bucks, and Nets… They all have superstars too. The Cavaliers need some quick growth from a starting lineup that has a couple of young guys and players playing together for just a few months… But if they get that growth?... They could do real damage right now, this season.  The great betting opportunity here is about figuring out recent trends and scoring averages…. Both teams have a shot at greatness and an equal shot at being gut punched.

The Los Angeles Clippers have won 6 of their last 10 games and are on a much needed 4-game winning streak.  It is the streak that helped them get to 5th place. They are also on a 3-game win streak ATS.  The turnaround is no secret… Kawhi, PG-13, and Norman are all finally playing at the same time.  Yes, any of them could pull up lame at any time and miss more time… but that is true about every NBA team and all the NBA players… so grain of salt.  They last won over the San Antonio Spurs 138-100 covering a huge -13 point point spread (as predicted here).  In the win Paul George had 37 points, Kawhi Leonard had 27 points, and Norman Powell came off the bench for 15 points in 21 minutes.  The stars playing and playing well allows role players like C Ivica Zubac and SG/PG/SF Terence Mann to do what they do best which is “support” through defense and easy buckets.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have only won 4 of their last 10 games…. As they are struggling with SG Donovan Mitchell on the injury list with a strained groin. It is unknown if he will play in this game… If he doesn’t play.. The Clippers will have a clear advantage.  In the Cavs last game they lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder 112-100… a sad loss ATS.  The Thunder are actually growing into a really solid team despite their poor record… The Cavs are not the first team to have been surprised by the best young backcourt in the league this season.  In the loss PG Darius Garland had 31 points & 13 assists… but SG Caris LaVert was awful while trying to fill in for Donovan Mitchell… Caris finished 1 of 12 from the field with only 2 points in 37 minutes of play.  The team would have been better off leaving him at the hotel.

Doc’s Sports is 15-9 in NBA picks the last 30 days for a profit of $5,050!! You should be following a handicapper all season long! Get Doc’s Sports picks right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers. BigAl.com can help you with all your bets from NCAAF, NFL, MLB, NHL… get positive value from all your bets! Remember: winning a bet is way more fun than making a bet!

LAC: 27-24, 25-26 ATS, 21-30 O/U, 13-13 in road games.

CLE: 30-21, 25-23-3 ATS, 23-28 O/U, 20-5 in home games.

The Clippers are 28th in scoring with 110.7 points per game, 13th in rebounds with 43.8 per game, 27th in AST/TO ratio with 1.6, and 18th in blocked shots with 4.7 per game.

The Cavaliers are 26th in scoring with 111.3 points per game, 23rd in rebounds with 42.2 per game, 19th in AST/TO ratio with 1.7, and 24th in blocked shots with 4.2 per game.

Our prediction for Sunday, January 29th is…. Clippers 121 - Cavs 111

Bet on the Clippers.  The idea is that Donovan Mitchell may be asked to rest another game. If so the Clippers walk through this win... If not?... The Clippers still have a better chance of covering the small spread... since the roll they are on is so far all the result of playing George with Leonard and Powell all together.  That won't change just because Mitchell is in the game.

Don't miss our champion handicappers' Free NBA Picks and Premium Selections every day here at Bigal.com. Just click on Shop Picks for our Clippers/Cavaliers Best Bets, or click on Shop Subscriptions to join for a week or a month. And if you enjoyed this  preview, be sure to bookmark Bigal.com for our daily Game Previews and Predictions.  Get help with all your college football picks, National Football league, NCAA brackets, or any prop bets on your season schedule. 

4 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER the last 3 seasons.

The Cavaliers are 15-9 ATS versus the Clippers at Cleveland since 1996.

Both games in this series in Cleveland have gone OVER the last 3 seasons.

Clippers: SG/PF Paul George.  As the team settles into a rotation with the stars back in the healthy lineup… They have been playing Paul George at the PF.  George is good enough to play at his high level at either forward position even though he is best suited to be the shooting guard.  This versatility has allowed the Clippers to simply ignore that Marcus Morris Sr,  Robert Covington, and Nicholas Batum have been in and out.  The trade deadline is close… There is a chance that those three guys become one young guy to play Power Forward… until then George is a great choice.

Cavaliers: PG Darius Garland.  Darius was this team’s star last season.  Easy to see… easy to digest.  However with the addition of Donovan Mitchell?  Darius becomes the #2.  He is wonderfully suited for this spot.  When Donovan Mitchell misses the game? Darius gets to go off like he did with the 31 points in the last game… Still, the goal is winning and this kid is growing to that challenge.

Clippers: Tye “Did we start?” Lue

Cavaliers: JB “keep going!” Bickerstaff