Bet The Cavs Twice This Week To Cash-In

Cleveland figures prominently in my NBA betting picks this week. Can the Cavs beat young and hungry Minnesota at home on Wednesday, Feb. 1? What’s going to happen when LeBron heads to Madison Square Garden to battle Melo and the New York Knicks in ABC’s Saturday prime time game? Also, are the L.A. Clippers healthy enough to tackle Boston in the Garden on Super Bowl Sunday?

Bet The Cavs Twice This Week To Cash-In On NBA Action

Minnesota at Cleveland
When:  Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 7:00 pm ET
Where: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
TV: ESPN

Analysis: After 3 straight losses, and a public battle between LeBron James and Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, Cleveland goes into the week having won 2 straight games. The Cavaliers match up well with Minnesota.

The Cavs frontline, led by Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love, is one of the better defensively focused frontlines in the NBA. That bodes well for Cleveland’s game versus the T’Wolves on Wednesday night. Why? It bodes well for the Cavs because if you can stop Karl-Anthony Towns, who’s already one of the Top 3 big men in the NBA in his second season, you can beat the T’Wolves.

LeBron’s D on Andrew Wiggins, Minny’s other young star, should contain the high-flying former Kansas player. I think LeBron and his fellas take down Minnesota big time in this game on Feb. 1.

Pick: Cleveland

Cleveland at New York Knicks
When:  Saturday, Feb. 4 at 5:30 pm ET
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
TV: ABC

Analysis: Melo versus LeBron hasn’t been much of a matchup in recent years. The last time that the two faced off, the Cavs won in a blowout. It’s hard to see a different outcome in this one.

Cleveland is one of the few sports franchises I’ve seen that responds to controversy. A lot of the response must do with LeBron whose leadership skills should be unquestioned after Cleveland won the NBA Championship last season.

Going back to the game on Saturday, the Cavs dominated the Knicks 126 to 94 last Dec. 7. In that match up, LeBron scored 25 while Melo was held to 8. The same sort of game could happen on Feb. 4 because Melo’s game just doesn’t match up to King James’s.

I think the Cavs dominate the Knicks on Super Bowl Eve.

Pick: Cleveland

L.A. Clippers at Boston
When:  Sunday, Feb. 5 at 2:00 pm ET
Where: TD Garden, Boston, MA
TV: ABC

Analysis: These two teams match up well. Both have decent front courts. Both have incredibly terrific guards. Clippers’ point-guard Chris Paul won’t suit up for this game on Super Bowl Sunday. But, forward Blake Griffin is supposed to. That’s great news for the Clipps, who should dominate in the paint in this one. But LAC still has an issue.

The problem that LAC is going to have in this game is covering guard Isaiah Thomas. Thomas averages 29 points and 6 assists per game. Thomas could dominate the Clippers’ backcourt because Chris Paul isn’t just the Clippers’ point-guard, he’s also their second-best defender after center DeAndre Jordan.

With Thomas running rings around the Clippers’ other guards, it makes no sense to go against Boston in this match up. I like Boston to cover the spread.

Pick: Boston