Check out our free Suns vs Cavaliers pick and preview for this NBA game in Cleveland. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this NBA matchup.
Suns vs Cavaliers NBA Pick & Preview
- Sport: NBA
- Teams: Phoenix Suns at Cleveland Cavaliers
- Where: Cleveland at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
- Date: Wednesday, January 4th
- Betting Odds CLE -5, PHO +167 | CLE -205 O/U nan
So far, the Suns have put together an overall record of 20-18, while going 18-18-2 vs the spread. Against the Cavaliers, the Suns are looking to break out of a 3 game losing streak. They have lost these games by an average of -17.67 points.
Phoenix is trying to bounce back from a 102-83 loss to the Knicks. Going into this game, the team was 2 point underdogs on the spread, giving them an ATS loss. Phoenix got off to a slow start, trailing by 23 points going into halftime. Leading the team in scoring was Deandre Ayton, as he contributed 12 points while hitting 46.2% of his shots.
The Cavaliers come into today’s matchup with an overall record of 24-14. So far, the team has gone 21-16-1 against the spread. Cleveland comes into the game having rattled off 2 straight wins. In these victories, the team has an average scoring margin of 6.0 points per game
The Cavaliers will look to keep things rolling, as they previously beat the Bulls by a score of 145-134. Heading into the game, they were 4 point favorites against the spread, giving them an ATS win. Cleveland went on to win the game, despite trailing by 18 going into halftime. In the win, Donovan Mitchell led the team in scoring with 71 points on a field goal percentage of 64.7%.
Head To Head Recap & Stats
In last year’s 2 head-to-head meetings, the Suns came out on top in both games. Phoenix won by scores of 101-92 and 120-101. Similar to their season-long average, the Suns averaged 110.5 points per game vs the Cavaliers. Just like the Suns, the Cavaliers maintained their usual level of scoring in head-to-head matchups, averaging 103.5 points per game vs Phoenix. The ATS record across the previous 5 head-to-head meetings is 3-2 in favor of the Suns. In these matchups, Phoenix has averaged 119 points per game, while allowing 110. Phoenix and Cleveland averaged a combined 229 points per game in these games, leading to an over-under mark of 4-1.
Odds & Free Betting Analysis For This NBA Game
Through 38 games, Phoenix is averaging 114.2 points per game (15th). The Suns come into the game as one of the league’s better 3-point shooting teams, connecting at a rate of 13.2 made 3’s per game. If the Suns offense is going to improve, they could look to play at a faster tempo, as they currently average just 97.3 possession per game. This could benefit the team as they are currently one of the better 3-point shooting units in the NBA.
On the defensive end of the floor, the Suns are giving up an average of 107.33 points per game, good for 9th in the NBA.
Deandre Ayton is expected to play a key role in Phoenix’s scoring efforts against the Cleveland today, as Devin Booker is unavailable. Booker is the team’s leading scorer this season with 27.1 points per game. Ayton is 2nd in scoring for the team with 17.5 points per game, which ranks him 70.0th in the NBA. In his 34 games, he has hit 60.5% of his field goal attempts and is grabbing 9.4 rebounds per game.
The Cavaliers come into today’s game as the 22nd ranked scoring offense at 112.1 points per game. Coming into today’s game, the Cavaliers will be looking to improve their 3-point shooting numbers, as they are averaging just 11.7 made 3’s per game. If Cleveland continues to struggle with their outside shot, they may look to start playing with more pace, as they are currently 29th in the league in possessions per game.
Defensively, the Cavaliers are one of the top performing units in the league, giving up 105.67 points per contest (5th).
A key injury to note in this game is the likely absence of the Cavaliers 2nd leading scorer, Darius Garland. In his 30 games, Garland is averaging 21.4 points per game while dishing out 7.8 assists and grabbing 2.6 rebounds. In he is unable to take the floor, the team will be looking for even more production out of Donovan Mitchell, who leads the team and is 8th in the NBA at 29.3 points per contest. For the season, he has connected on 49.1% of his field goal attempts while taking 24.3% of overall shots.
Suns vs Cavaliers Pick
- Free Spread Prediction: Suns +5
- Free Total Prediction: Under nan
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