Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Portland Trail Blazers Odds, Analysis, NBA Betting Pick
The Cleveland Cavaliers (39-28) will continue their six-game road trip Thursday when they visit the streaking Portland Trail Blazers (41-26) as small underdogs. Through the first four games of their trip, the Cavaliers have gone 2-2 straight up and against the spread, while the Blazers have won 10 in a row to move into third place in the Western Conference standings.
NBA point spread: The Trail Blazers opened as 3.5-point favorites; the total is at 222, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)
NBA betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 113.7-104.3, Trail Blazers (NBA picks on every game)
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Why the Cavaliers can cover the spread
Cleveland is coming off a 129-107 rout of the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, easily covering the spread as an eight-point favorite. The Cavaliers also opened their trip with a 113-108 victory against the Denver Nuggets as 3.5-point underdogs before losing to both the Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers by double digits.
In the win at Phoenix, LeBron James posted his 14th triple-double of the season, finishing with 28 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. James is averaging a triple-double in his last 15 games.
Why the Trail Blazers can cover the spread
Portland is the hottest team in the league, also going 9-1 ATS during its winning streak. The Blazers defeated the Miami Heat 115-99 on Monday behind 32 points and 10 assists from Damian Lillard, who is starting to make a case for MVP honors with his strong play lately.
Lillard is averaging nearly 27 points per game and shooting the ball better from the field (44.6 percent) and the free-throw line (90.7 percent) than he has during his previous five seasons. He will also have a major advantage in the point guard matchup here opposite George Hill.
Smart betting pick
The home team has won each of the past eight meetings in this series SU, going 7-1 ATS during that stretch dating back to 2014. Cleveland's uneven play recently makes Portland a solid pick in this spot considering the Cavaliers have put together consecutive wins only once since February 13.
In addition, the Blazers have won three in a row SU and ATS in their last three versus Eastern opponents, so look for them to pick up their fourth straight victory and cover in that situation.
NBA betting trends
Cleveland is 3-6 ATS in its last nine games.
Cleveland is 6-14 ATS in its last 20 games on the road.
Portland is 5-0 ATS in its last five games.
All NBA odds and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report's official odds partner, OddsShark. Check out OddsShark on Twitter and Instagram or head to YouTube for more betting picks and analysis on this week's top games. You can also download the free odds tracker app.
