NBA Handicapping

Cavs Worth A Wager

Until a few of weeks ago, basketball critics were starting to openly question whether LeBron James had what it takes to carry the Cleveland Cavaliers into the playoffs.

The Cavs had lost five straight and were slipping in the standings. Because James had struggled late in some of those losses, critics were beginning to point to the 21-year-old's lack of college experience as a possible reason.

Maybe the criticism inspired James. Since the Cavs' five-game losing streak, they have won 12 of their last 15 games including eight straight.

Last Wednesday, they clinched a playoff spot in impressive fashion with a 107-94 win over Dallas as a 2.5-home favorite. For the Cavs, who had the worst record in the league only three years ago, it's their first playoff berth since 1998.

James leads the team in scoring averaging 31.5 ppg (third overall), assists with 6.7 apg and steals with 1.6 per game.

Over the past 15 games, James has stepped it up and is draining nearly 35 points per games. He led the team in scoring in all but one game.

In the playoff clincher versus the Mavs, James had 46 points then followed that up with a triple-double (47 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists) in a 106-99 victory over the Miami Heat last Saturday.

Cleveland backers have also been pleased with LeBron and the Cavs' recent success. Those placing bets on the Cavs in the past 15 games have cashed in 11 times.

Two of those ATS wins came on the road against two top teams, Miami and Dallas.

Against the Heat, the Cavs lost 98-92 straight up (SU) but beat the spread as 6.5-point road dogs. The next game in Dallas, the Cavs lost 91-87 SU but again beat the spread, this time as 7.5-point dogs.

Cleveland now has a betting record of 39-31-3 against the spread (ATS). That's the third-best betting record in the NBA (as of Monday).

This week, the Cavs host the slumping 76ers on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET, NBA TV) before traveling to New York to tip off with the pitiful Knicks on Wednesday (7:30 p.m., MSG) followed by a visit to New Jersey to face the surging Nets on Saturday (1 p.m. ET, YES).

Bet on The NBA and grab a huge depositing bonus!