Cleveland Cavaliers vs. San Antonio Spurs Odds, Analysis, NBA Betting Pick
With just 10 games to go in the regular season, the Cleveland Cavaliers (47-25) visit the San Antonio Spurs (56-16) as solid road underdogs Monday.
While oddsmakers believe the Golden State Warriors will meet the NBA champion Cavaliers for the third straight time in a title matchup come June, the Spurs have won four in a row and are still trying to earn the league's best record, which would guarantee home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.
Point spread: The Spurs opened as 4.5-point favorites; the total is at 211.5, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)
NBA betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 108.1-97.8 Spurs (NBA picks on every game)
Why the Cavaliers can cover the spread
Cleveland has to worry about securing home-court advantage in the Eastern Conference now that the Boston Celtics are virtually even for the top seed based on their respective records.
The Cavaliers have won consecutive games just once in the past month, and they are coming off a 127-115 home loss to the Washington Wizards on Saturday as six-point favorites.
The Cavaliers cannot afford to lose much down the stretch to earn the No. 1 spot, making this a crucial game to test their mettle and bring them back even in the win column with the Celtics.
Why the Spurs can cover the spread
San Antonio trails Golden State by 2.5 games in the race for the Western Conference's top seed and the NBA's best overall record. The Spurs have already won the regular-season series by taking the first two meetings with the Warriors, who they host on Wednesday, and they can make up another game in the standings with a third victory there.
San Antonio also won the first meeting with Cleveland on the road 118-115 as a 3.5-point road underdog on January 21 after not playing the Cavs in nearly a year. The Spurs have won six of the past seven home meetings too, going 4-3 against the spread.
Smart betting pick
In seven of the last 10 games of the regular season, San Antonio will play a foe likely headed for the postseason, providing a good challenge. The Spurs have beaten each team in the league at least once for the third year in a row, but the previous two did not translate to a deep run in the playoffs.
The Spurs hope to change that this time around, and sweeping Cleveland and Golden State this week would give them an enormous amount of confidence. Look for San Antonio to pick up a key win and cover at online betting sites in this spot.
NBA betting trends
Cleveland is 1-5 ATS in its last six games.
The total has gone over in 11 of Cleveland's last 15 games on the road.
San Antonio is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games at home.
All NBA lines and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.
