Cleveland At New Orleans
When: 6:00 PM ET, Sunday, March 31, 2013
Where: New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana
TV: 6 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Ohio (Cleveland), Fox Sports New Orleans
PREDICTION: Hornets 90, Cavaliers 83

Oddsmakers currently have the Hornets listed as 6-point favorites versus the Cavaliers, while the game’s total is sitting at 193.

Cleveland is playing out the string as an undermanned squad with Irving and rookie guard Dion Waiters (knee) both sidelined. Coach Byron Scott denies his team has given up on the season despite the recent results and is hoping to see solid effort over the final 11 games. “This is a big-time test,” Scott said after the loss to the 76ers. “We’re going through some adversity as far as losing. It’s going to test the type of character we have in that locker room. We’ll see if guys go south or north or whatever.”

The Cavaliers were a 97-87 loser in their most recent outing at home against the 76ers. They failed to cover the 1.5-point spread as underdogs, while the total score (184) made winners of UNDER bettors.

Team record: 22-49 SU, 37-34 ATS
Current streak: lost 7 straight games.

The total has gone UNDER in 4 of last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of last 7 games when playing New Orleans
The total has gone OVER in 5 of last 7 games when playing on the road against New Orleans
is 4-8 ATS in its last 12 games when playing on the road against New Orleans

When playing on Sunday are 5-5
Before playing Atlanta are 3-7
After playing Philadelphia are 5-5
After a loss are 2-8

New Orleans is 3-3 on a seven-game homestand that wraps up against the Cavaliers. Point guard Greivis Vasquez has missed two of the last three games with an ankle injury and his status for Cleveland will be determined shortly before tipoff. Rookie backup Brian Roberts has just eight total assists in the last two games after recording a career-best 18 while filling in for Vasquez three games ago. Davis has scored in double digits in 12 of the past 13 games.

New Orleans was a 108-89 loser in its last match at home against the Heat. They failed to cover the 7.5-point spread as underdogs, while the total score of 197 sent OVER bettors to the payout window.

Team record: 25-48 SU, 36-37 ATS
Current streak: lost 2 straight games.

is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Cleveland
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of last 7 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of last 7 games when playing Cleveland
The total has gone OVER in 5 of last 7 games when playing at home against Cleveland

When playing on Sunday are 4-6
Before playing Golden State are 5-5
After playing Miami are 6-4
After a loss are 3-7

The post Cleveland vs. New Orleans Free Betting Pick & Matchup appeared first on IdealCapper.

Cleveland At Toronto
When: 6:00 PM ET, Sunday, March 10, 2013
Where: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario
TV: 6 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Ohio (Cleveland), SNET1 (Toronto)
PREDICTION: Raptors 100, Cavaliers 97

Oddsmakers currently have the Raptors listed as 6-point favorites versus the Cavaliers, while the game’s total is sitting at 203.

Cleveland has one of the top, young backcourt duos in the league with point guard Kyrie Irving (23.2 points, 5.7 assists) and rookie shooting guard Dion Waiters, who are the team’s top two scorers. Irving has topped 20 points in three straight games and has 32 games of 20 or more points this season. Waiters leads all Eastern Conference rookies in scoring (14.6 per game), assists (3.2 per game) and steals (1 per game). Forward Tristan Thompson (11.4 points, 9.3 rebounds) teams with that duo to give the Cavs three promising players age 21 or younger.

Cleveland was a 103-92 loser in its last match at home against the Grizzlies. They failed to cover the 4.5-point spread as underdogs, while the total score of 195 sent OVER bettors to the payout window.

Cleveland:
Team record: 21-41 SU, 32-30 ATS

The total has gone UNDER in 5 of last 5 games when playing on the road against Toronto
The total has gone OVER in 5 of last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of last 6 games when playing Toronto
The total has gone OVER in 6 of last 9 games

When playing on Sunday are 6-4
Before playing Washington are 5-5
After playing Memphis are 2-8
After a loss are 6-4

Toronto has a new star in Rudy Gay, who has put up 19.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in 16 contests since being acquired from Memphis. Gay teams with DeMar DeRozan (17.8 points) to form a dynamic scoring duo, and Kyle Lowry (12.6 points, 6.1 assists) is settling into his role as a distributor. Forward Andrea Bargnani (12.7 points) is back on the mend after leaving Friday’s game against the Lakers with a strained right elbow. Bargnani, who missed 26 games earlier this season with a torn right elbow ligament and strained right wrist, is listed as day-to-day.

Last time out for Toronto, they were a 118-116 loser as they battled the Lakers on the road. The Raptors covered in the match as a 7.5-point underdog, while 234 combined points moved the game OVER for totals bettors.

Toronto:
Team record: 24-39 SU, 32-30-1 ATS

The total has gone UNDER in 5 of last 5 games when playing at home against Cleveland
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of last 6 games when playing Cleveland
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of last 6 games at home
is 8-16 SU in its last 24 games when playing Cleveland

When playing on Sunday are 3-7
Before playing Boston are 4-6
After playing LA Lakers are 2-8
After a loss are 4-6

The post Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Toronto Raptors Free Betting Pick & Matchup appeared first on IdealCapper.

L.A. Clippers At Cleveland
When: 7:30 PM ET, Friday, March 1, 2013
Where: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, Prime Ticket (Los Angeles), Fox Sports Ohio (Cleveland)
PREDICTION: Clippers 97, Cavaliers 93

Oddsmakers currently have the Clippers listed as 7-point favorites versus the Cavaliers, while the game’s total is sitting at 199.

Los Angeles got a brief scare when center DeAndre Jordan had his nose bloodied early in the third quarter and had to leave the game, but he returned briefly in the fourth after X-rays were negative. Forward Blake Griffin did the heavy lifting inside with his 24th double-double, scoring 18 points and pulling down 14 rebounds. Shooting guard Chauncey Phillips is struggling to find his form. For the second straight game, he scored three points on 1-for-6 shooting.

The Clippers were a 99-91 winner in their most recent outing on the road against the Pacers. They covered the 1.5-point spread as underdogs, while the total score (190) made winners of UNDER bettors.

Los Angeles:
Team record: 42-18 SU, 34-26 ATS
Current streak: won 3 straight games.

LA Clippers are 7-1 SU in their last 8 games
LA Clippers are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of the LA Clippers last 6 games when playing Cleveland
LA Clippers are 1-11 SU in their last 12 games when playing Cleveland

When playing on Friday are 6-4
Before playing Oklahoma City are 5-5
After playing Indiana are 2-8
After a win are 6-4

Rookie guard Dion Waiters continues to carry the offense in Irving’s absence, averaging 24.7 points in the last three games. The Clippers got an early glimpse of his ability in a home loss to the Cavaliers during the first week of November, when Waiters hit seven 3-pointers and scored a season-high 28 points. Veteran Shaun Livingston has performed admirably in starting the past two games in place of Irving, scoring 15 points in each and shooting a combined 10-of-18.

The Cavaliers were a 103-92 winner in their most recent outing at home against the Raptors. They covered the 5-point spread as underdogs, while the total score (195) made winners of UNDER bettors.

Cleveland:
Team record: 20-38 SU, 31-27 ATS
Current streak: won 2 straight games.

is 5-0 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against LA Clippers
is 11-1 SU in their last 12 games when playing LA Clippers
is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of last 5 games

When playing on Friday are 5-5
Before playing New York are 1-9
After playing Toronto are 2-8
After a win are 6-4

The post Los Angeles Clippers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Free Betting Pick & Matchup appeared first on IdealCapper.