Los Angeles Lakers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
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Quicken Loans Arena will be the site of the premier NBA betting matchup on the Thursday night slate. The Los Angeles Lakers (32-9, 18-22-1 ATS) will take their show on the road in a battle with the Cleveland Cavaliers (32-11, 20-22-1 ATS). These teams have the best two records in the league by comfortable margins. The Lakers staged a comeback on Monday against the Magic, winning the rematch of last year’s NBA Finals 98-92. Cleveland’s ATS woes continued, as it failed to cover its seventh game in its L/10 (2-7-1 ATS) in a 108-100 victory over the Raptors.

The knock on LA this year is that it hasn’t figured out how to play on the road. The schedule makers handed the Lakers 26 home games in their first 41, and though they went 23-3 in those games at the Staples Center, they’re only 9-6 as guests on the season. Unlike in years past when the offense just revolved around G Kobe Bryant, HC Phil Jackson has his squad doing all of the things necessary to win another championship. Bryant’s two major partners in crime, F Pau Gasol and C Andrew Bynum are both doing a great job on the inside. Between those two and F Lamar Odom, they are averaging 29.5 rebounds per game. F Ron Artest also adds a level of intensity on the defensive end of the court, and he’ll be tabbed with the dubious task of trying to stop Cleveland F LeBron James on Thursday.

As for “The King” and his crew, the Cavs are playing strong ball thanks to their leader. James is coming off a game in which he fell just one assist shy of a triple-double. It was the 16th time in the L/17 games that LeBron went for at least 23 points to secure his 13th double-double on the year. Even though there aren’t a ton of other offensive weapons at his disposal, Cleveland plays strong team defense, and that is what could beat the Lakers on Thursday. The unit ranks in the Top-5 in both points per game allowed (94.6) and opposing shooting percentage (43.8%).

Cleveland’s only 2-6 ATS in its L/8 games played at the “The Q.” The road team cashed in on both meetings between these teams a year ago, with Cleveland winning 102-87 in LA and the Lakers earning a 101-91 victory in Cleveland.

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