Week 17 of the 2020-21 NBA season closes down Sunday, April 25, with seven games on the schedule, so hereโs the best Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Washington Wizards betting pick along with the latest odds for this Eastern Conference showdown at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
The Cavs and Wizards open a three-game regular-season series. According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Wizards are 6-point favorites for Sundayโs contest, while the Cavaliers are listed as +240 moneyline dogs with a total of 228.5 points.
Cleveland misses Taurean Prince (ankle) and Damyean Dotson (knee). On the other side, Washington is without Deni Avdija (ankle), Rui Hachimura (knee), and Thomas Bryant (knee).
The Cavaliers lost four of their last five games
The Cleveland Cavaliers (21-38; 24-35 ATS) are coming off a 108-102 defeat at the Charlotte Hornets this past Friday, failing to record their second straight win. Collin Sexton was the Cavsโ top scorer for the fifth straight contest, accounting for 28 points to go with seven rebounds and a couple of dishes, but Cleveland blew a 10-point lead while committing 12 turnovers more than their opponents.
Over his last eight apps, Sexton has been tallying 27.0 points a night while making 52.3% of his field goals and 44.1% of his 3-pointers. However, the Cavs are only 2-6 straight up and ATS in that stretch, so theyโll almost certainly miss another postseason.
Cleveland hasnโt reached the playoffs since 2018. The Cavs are sitting at the 13th spot of the Eastern Conference standings at the moment, trailing five games behind the 10th-seeded Washington Wizards. With 13 games to go, the gap looks just too big.
The Wizards are rolling on a seven-game win streak
The Washington Wizards (26-33; 32-27 ATS) hold the ultimate playoff spot in the East, though the Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors are both just one game behind. Scott Brooksโ boys have been terrific recently, winning their previous seven games overall and covering the spread six times in the process.
Washington is coming off an emphatic 129-109 victory at Oklahoma City this past Friday. The Wizards shot 51.6% from the field and 56.3% from beyond the 3-point line, while Russell Westbrook posted a triple-double of 37 points, 11 boards, and 11 assists.
Westbrook has been spectacular over his last ten showings, averaging 22.4 points, 13.9 rebounds, and 12.6 assists per game. During that ten-game span, Bradley Beal has been posting 30.0 points a night on 47.3% shooting from the field and 40.0% from downtown.
Trends:
Cleveland:
- 1-4 ATS in the last five games overall
- 2-6 ATS in the last eight games against the Eastern Conference
Washington:
- 6-1 ATS in the last seven games overall
- 5-2 ATS in the last seven contests against the Eastern Conference
The Wizards are certainly keen to extend their tremendous winning streak. They are in the playoff picture and cannot allow an upset against the hapless Cavaliers on the home court.
Therefore, Iโm backing the hosts to win by at least six points. Both Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal have played very well lately and should dominate the Cavaliersโ backcourt that lacks experience. Of course, the Wizards need another solid defensive performance, but that shouldnโt be a problem against the Cavaliersโ offense that is scoring the fewest points per game in the NBA (104.0).
Pick: Take Washington Wizards -6.0 at -110
The Total:
While the Cavaliers play at the sixth-slowest pace in the league, recording 97.3 possessions per 48 minutes, the Wizards lead the NBA with 104.2 possessions per 48 minutes. Hereof, betting on the totals is a tricky job, but I think the under will hit because of the Cavsโ terrible offense.
Only two of Clevelandโs last 31 games produced more than 228 points in total. The Cavsโ offensive rating of 106.0 points per 100 possessions is the third-worst in the NBA, while the Wizards are 24th in the league with 109.3 points per 100 possessions.
The under has hit in Washingtonโs last six outings at home. Also, the under is 5-1 in the Wizardsโ last six games overall, and it is 4-2 in the Cavaliersโ previous six outings.
Pick: Go under 228.5 points at -110