The Los Angeles Lakers host the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA’s New Year’s Eve nightcap.
The pregame narrative: Cleveland is the favourite, but I’ll buy extra points with it in the second game of a back-to-back. I’m also backing LeBron James, Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell in this +850 behemoth SGP.
Check out my Cavaliers vs. Lakers same-game parlay predictions for Dec. 31.
Cavaliers vs. Lakers predictions
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Parlay: Cavaliers +3.5 + James over 23.5 points + Mobley over 16.5 points + Mitchell over 5.5 assists (+850)
Cavaliers +3.5 (-305): Cleveland owns the NBA’s best ATS record at 23-9-0 and is 4-2-0 ATS with no days rest.
With that being said, the Lakers have been playing some impressive ball lately, and something about LeBron facing his former team scares me a bit.
I expect the first-place Cavs to keep this one close still. They have covered in 11 of their last 12 games and seven straight heading into the New Year’s Eve matchup.
Cleveland also smoked the Lakers in their latest matchup 134-110 on Oct. 30. They are seeking an eighth straight win and 12th road win on the season.
SGP legs
James over 23.5 points (-117): LeBron just celebrated his 40th birthday yesterday, so you know what that means — a nice birthday bump for Benjamin Buckets.
Between the birthday and playing his former and hometown team, I think the narrative aspect alone makes this intriguing. But let’s get deeper into it.
LeBron has been on a tear in December, averaging just south of 26 PPG in nearly 35 minutes per game. His field goal attempts have increased over that stretch from his season average (18.1) to 20.8.
He’s cleared this mark in three straight games and six of his last nine.
Over his illustrious career, LeBron has fared well against the Cavaliers. In 23 games, he’s averaged 28.3 points.
I anticipate these trends to continue tonight with a lot riding on this game.
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Mobley over 16.5 points (-129): Mobley had an off night yesterday against the Golden State Warriors but I won’t let that steer me away.
Cleveland had an 18-point lead heading into the fourth quarter where Golden State never really made it close. Mobley also ran into some early foul trouble, limiting him to just 24 minutes of action.
In his fourth season in the NBA, Mobley continues to get better each year. Now averaging north of 18 PPG on the season after an incredible run over the past five weeks.
- In his last 13 games, the Cavs power forward is averaging 19.4 points.
- He’s 58% shooting from the floor and an incredible 47% from deep during that stretch.
Mobley has cleared this mark in nine of those games. He also set a new career-high with 41 points on Dec. 7 against the Hornets.
If he stays out of foul trouble and the game doesn’t get out of hand, I expect him to easily clear this line.
Mitchell over 5.5 assists (+125): Mitchell has been known to be a scorer and less of a playmaker throughout his career in the NBA.
This season Mitchell has learned he can’t do it all himself, and it’s working. His Cavaliers are in first place in the league with a 28-4 record.
The Cavs own the league’s second-highest assists ratio (20.6) and tied for fifth in assists/game (28.8).
The five-time all-star is averaging 5.9 assists in his last 11 games, clearing this line in seven.
Los Angeles allows the fourth-most assists per game to opposing shooting guards, according to Betting Pros.
Picks made at 11:33 a.m. ET 12/31/2024
