NBA Handicapping: The moment that LeBron James announced his “Second Coming” as the prodigal son that chose to leave the excitement and warmth of Miami for the cold and gray of his hometown of Cleveland there was no doubt who would be getting the top national TV matchups on ESPN. James and his Cavaliers have a pair of ESPN matchups this week.
Cleveland had a start that was not in line with expectations, however, with just five wins in their first eight games and a 4-4 mark against the spread. Cleveland is a team that will be attracting plenty of public betting action as well as eyeballs to TV sets and NBA handicappers will need to be vigilant about getting full wagering value.
Another team that may struggle to hold good betting value is the Chicago Bulls, who are another frequently televised Eastern Conference team and public betting favorite. The Bulls covered just four out of their first 10 games despite winning seven of those games straight up.
Let’s take a look at this week’s top Eastern Conference TV matchups.
Spurs at Cavs ESPN Wednesday Night
The Cleveland Cavaliers will host the San Antonio Spurs at Quicken Loans Arena with tipoff time set for 7 p.m. ET. This is, of course, a potential NBA Finals preview with the Spurs as the defending NBA champs and top team in the West and the Cavs rejuvenated with the return of LeBron James. The Spurs have often been a strong road value as evidenced by their four payouts in their last five visits to Cleveland with three out of the last four meetings between the Cavs and Spurs going over the total.
Bulls at Kings TNT Thursday Night
The Sacramento Kings will host the Chicago Bulls at the Sleep Train Arena with tipoff time set for 10:30 PM ET. The Kings have come away with the money in their last five meetings with the Bulls as three out of the last four meetings between the Bulls and Kings have gone under the total.
Cavs at Wizards ESPN Friday Night
The Washington Wizards will host the Cleveland Cavaliers at Verizon Center on Friday night with coverage on ESPN starting at 8 PM ET. Cleveland has covered the spread in eight out of their last 11 games with Washington with nine out of the last 11 games between the Cavs and Wizards going under the total. Cleveland has paid out in their last five visits to Washington with three out of the last five match-ups at Verizon Center between the Cavs and Wizards going under the total.
We like the Spurs on Wednesday night and the Cavs on Friday night.
