Cleveland at Washington – Wizards and the Points

Winning has been a state of mind for the Cavaliers all season, while losing has been the nasty habit of the Wizards. Yet tonight, when the Cavs and Wizards revisit a rivalry that stems many years, the Wizards will get a boost with Gilbert Arenas back in the line-up. The spread in this game opened at 9-points, but quickly ballooned up by 1.5-points after the oddsmakers got their hands on it.

And that has to worry some of the Cavs’ betting faithful. They’ve been winning, but going 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games has done little to instill betting confidence behind Cleveland and LeBron. When you combine that with Washington’s penchant for covering against the Cavs, the sweat begins to drip down the brow. And I don’t blame you for it.

NBA Betting Trends

-Cleveland is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games

-Cleveland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games

-The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Cleveland’s last 5 games

-Washington is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games

-Washington is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games at home

-Washington is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Cleveland

-The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington’s last 6 games when playing at home against Cleveland

Washington hasn’t made a habit of winning, with their only victory coming over Charlotte 95-93 at home. That’s barely enough to make me feel comfortable siding with them on an upset win. But the return of Gilbert Arenas has to make you feel antsy about this line.

Topping it all off is Cleveland’s inability to cover the spread as of late. They’ve managed to cover in most games, but have had heaps of trouble when playing on the road. With revenge on the mind of Arenas, I’m willing to give the rowdy Wizards the benefit of the doubt.

Cleveland Cavaliers (61-13) vs. Washington Wizards (17-59)

Thursday, April 2nd —- Verizon Center, Washington — 8:00pm EST

NBA Betting Line: Cleveland -10.5 (196.5)

And with Arenas in the lineup, its impossible not to take the OVER in this game. With or without Arenas, the matchups between these two have almost always pushed the OVER. So with that, I’m throwing caution to the wind and taking the Wizards with a massive point total. Arenas always shows up against Cleveland, and while that will bring out the best in LeBron, it will also lead to back-to-back losses to the betting line for the Cavs.

NBA Furious Free Picks: Washington +10.5 (OVER)