The Cleveland Cavaliers (42-24) make the 2nd stop of a 3-game road trip against the Houston Rockets (31-35) Saturday at Toyota Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the Cavaliers vs. Rockets odds and make our expert NBA picks and predictions.
Season series: Cavaliers lead 1-0; Cleveland won 135-130 in overtime, covering a 4-point spread, as the Over (215) cashed Dec. 18 in the first meeting
The Cavaliers welcomed leading-scorer G Donovan Mitchell (knee) back to the lineup Wednesday in New Orleans after a 7-game absence. It made a giant difference, as Cleveland won 116-95, its most points since Feb. 28, which was the last full game Mitchell played.
The Rockets have won 4 consecutive games, including a 135-119 win over the Washington Wizards Thursday. Houston has covered 7 of the past 8 games, while the Over has a slight 3-2 advantage in the previous 5 outings.
Cleveland has won 3 in a row, and 6 of the past 7, in this series. The Cavs are also 3-0 ATS in the win streak, and 6-1 ATS across the past 7 meetings. The Under has a 6-2 advantage in the past 8 battles.
Cavaliers at Rockets odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:50 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Cavaliers -186 (bet $186 to win $100) | Rockets +156 (bet $100 to win $156)
- Against the spread: Cavaliers -4.5 (-112) | Rockets +4.5 (-108)
- Over/Under (O/U): 214.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Cavaliers at Rockets key injuries
Cavaliers
- G Ty Jerome (ankle) out
- C Evan Mobley (ankle) out
- F Max Strus (knee) out
Rockets
- C Alperen Sengun (knee) out
- F Cam Whitmore (knee) out
For most recent updates: Official NBA injury report.
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Cavaliers at Rockets picks and predictions
Prediction
Cavaliers 111, Rockets 107
Moneyline
The Cavaliers (-186) have come down from -220 overnight, but they’re a little too expensive considering they’re still down 2 starters. Yes, Spida was able to return in NOLA, and the Cavs looked good, but missing Mobley and Strus is still a big deal. Mitchell can’t do it all himself.
However, the recent injury to Sengun is a big deal to the Rockets (+156), as he was really coming into his own and becoming a star.
PASS.
Against the spread
The ROCKETS +4.5 (-108) are still worth a look as underdogs at home.
Houston has covered 7 of the past 8 games, and it is 7-0 ATS in the past 7 home games against Eastern Conference opponents.
While the Cavaliers -4.5 (-112) won handily against a good New Orleans team last time out, they’re still 5-10 ATS in the past 15 games dating back to Feb. 12.
Over/Under
OVER 214.5 (-110) is the lean, but go with a half-unit play at most.
The Over has cashed in 3 of the past 4 games for the Cavaliers, but the total went low in New Orleans to kick off the road trip, so be careful.
The Over has a slight 3-2 edge in the past 5 games for the Rockets, too, while the Over is 10-7-1 in the past 18 outings at Toyota Center.
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