Cavaliers vs. Lakers Prediction and Odds for December 31: LeBron’s Birthday Bash Feat. New Teammates

The Cleveland Cavaliers (28-4) will pay a visit to the Los Angeles Lakers (18-13) as part of their West-Coast road trip on Tuesday, New Year’s Eve.

The Cavs got off to the ninth-best start through 30 games in NBA history and won two games since then, both in blowout fashion. They are flirting with setting an all-time NBA record for offensive efficiency and haven’t shown any chinks in their armor.

The Lakers will take the court 24 hours after LeBron James turned 40 years old and potentially with new additions Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton, who were acquired from the Brooklyn Nets as part of a trade package that was centered around D’Angelo Russell.

Here, we will share our favorite Cavaliers vs. Lakers betting picks for Tuesday.

Cavaliers vs. Lakers Betting Odds for Tuesday, December 31

The Cavs are 23-9 (71.9 percent) against the spread, 9-4 (69.2 percent) ATS on the road, and 19-9 (67.9 percent) ATS as a favorite. They’re also 5-0 ATS with a rest disadvantage.

The Lakers are 15-16 (48.4 percent) ATS, 8-6 (57.18-7 percent) ATS at home, and (53.3 percent) ATS as an underdog. Unlike the Cavs, they’re 4-5 (44.4 percent) ATS with a rest advantage.

Odds for the Cavaliers vs. Lakers game are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Head over to FanDuel, Bet $5, Get $250 in Bonus Bets if Your Bet Wins.

Cavaliers vs. Lakers Prediction

Cleveland Cavaliers Preview

At what point is the league going to treat the Cavaliers as the story of the season? They are 28-4 and blew out the Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors in their last two games with total ease.

Cleveland has the best offensive rating in the league and is ninth in defensive rating. They aren’t great on the boards, but they have tremendous size in the frontcourt and rank fourth in points in the paint allowed per game.

The Cavs are also the only team in the league to make more than 39 percent of their three-point attempts—even more impressively, they made a whopping 41 percent of them. That’s trouble for the Lakers, who are 19th in three-point defense (36.3 percent allowed). 

This is no longer a squad that is reliant on Donovan Mitchell. Instead, they move the ball quickly and crisply, always seem to find the open man, and pass up good shots for great ones. They’re also just as comfortable taking the ball inside as they are pulling up from range, making them close to impossible to defend.

Perhaps the biggest disparity between the teams, if not at the three-point line, is in their bench production. The Cavs’ reserves outscored their opponents’ by an average of 5.1 points per 100 possessions, while the Lakers’ were outscored by 1.5 points per 100 possessions.

Los Angeles Lakers Preview

The Lakers have been all over the place this season, whether that be winning or losing, adjusting their lineup and rotations, or rising and falling in both offensive and defensive performances. 

LA’s latest stretch has seen it win five of its last six games, the last two of which came against the Sacramento Kings and the Golden State Warriors. LeBron James, who turned 40 on Monday, also did not play against the Kings and will have five days of rest leading up to tip-off.

The biggest news coming out of the Lakers’ facility, however, is the imminent debuts of Finney-Smith and Milton.

Finney-Smith adds immediate defensive versatility and consistency, and he also shot a career-high 43.5 percent from three this season. Milton only averaged 7.4 points and 2.4 assists in 18.2 minutes per night but showed his quality in recent weeks, averaging 11 points on 45 percent shooting in December.

The Lakers enter the matchup ranked 16th in offensive and 22nd in defensive rating and with a net rating of -2.8 (21st). It will be interesting to monitor the impact of the new arrivals and the loss of Russell, who quietly posted the best plus/minus of any member of the Purple and Gold.

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Cavaliers vs. Lakers Betting Pick

• Cavaliers vs. Lakers pick: Cavaliers -4 (-108) at FanDuel Sportsbook

Finding the Lakers are only three-point underdogs with the odds titled their way is a sign that they are much better than their 18-13 record suggests they are. They’re also 10-4 at home, although the Cavs are 11-3.

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see a well-rested LeBron and his new teammates put on a show as part of their honeymoon. However, the Cavs’ consistency demands respect.

Even on the second night of a back-to-back, we like the best team in the league to handle its business in the City of Angels.

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How to Watch Cavaliers vs. Lakers on 12/31/24

• When: Tuesday, December 31 @ 9:00 p.m. ET

• Where: crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA

• TV: NBA League Pass

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