The Cleveland Cavaliers have lost their last game and failed to cover the spread as the underdog and they will look to turn things around when they continue their west road trip when they take on the Los Angeles Lakers in the Saturday showdown. We take a look at this matchup to make a Cavaliers-Lakers prediction and pick.

(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Cleveland's (46-31) matchup in Los Angeles presents a must-win situation for the Cavaliers. Arriving with losses in six out of their last 10 games, the Cavs need to break their slump and rediscover their defensive intensity. The Lakers, with LeBron James playing a superhuman, pose a serious threat, and their high-tempo style can overwhelm tired legs. For the Cavs, it's about limiting turnovers and controlling the pace. Donovan Mitchell will need to be on his game to combat James, Anthony Davis, and the rest of this Lakers squad so that they don't dip anymore in the Eastern standings and gain some momentum heading into the playoffs when they matchup in this Saturday afternoon showdown.

Los Angeles (45-33) has turned a new leaf in their recent 10-game stretch that has seen them winning eight of those 10 games. During that 10-game stretch, James is averaging 26.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.7 assists as he's turned the Lakers season around gunning for a spot in the play-in tournament. As the regular season comes to an end the Lakers will be looking to keep their momentum going and for that to happen they have to go through the Cleveland Cavaliers in today's afternoon matchup.

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS VS. LOS ANGELES LAKERS FANDUEL ODDS FOR ARR. 5

MONEY LINE

• CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: +172
• LOS ANGELES LAKERS: -205

SPREAD

• CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: +5 (-114)
• LOS ANGELES LAKERS: -5 (-106)

OVER/UNDER (TOTAL)

• OVER 229.5 (-106)
• UNDER 229.5 (-114)

BEST ODDS FOR CLEVELAND CAVALIERS VS. LOS ANGELES LAKERS

• The Los Angeles Lakers are -5-point favorites against the Cleveland Cavaliers. BetMGM currently has the best odds at -4.5 (-115)
• The Cleveland Cavaliers are the underdogs by 5 points to cover the spread. Hard Rock Bet currently has the best odds at +5 (-105)
• DraftKings currently has the best odds for the total, which is set at 229.5 (-110) for the over, and (-110) for the under

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CLEVELAND CAVALIERS VS. LOS ANGELES LAKERS INJURY REPORT

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS INJURY REPORT

• ISAAC OKORO - OUT SAT - TOE
• CRAIG PORTER JR. - PROB SAT - ILLNESS
• DEAN WADE - OUT INDEFINITELY - KNEE
• TY JEROME - OUT INDEFINITELY - ANKLE

LOS ANGELES LAKERS INJURY REPORT INJURY REPORT

• ANTHONY DAVIS - QUES SAT - KNEE
• LEBRON JAMES - QUES SAT - ANKLE
• JARRED VANDERBILT - OUT - FOOT
• JALEN HOOD-SCHIFINO - OUT INDEFINITELY - BACK
• CHRISTIAN WOOD - OUT INDEFINITELY - KNEE

WHY CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL COVER THE SPREAD

The Cleveland Cavaliers are still gunning for the 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and are desperate as they come into this matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers. They already dropped a much-needed win against the Suns which was a devastating loss for the Cavaliers.? In that loss to the Suns, it was the Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, and Evan Mobley show as they combined for 64 points but they didn't get much help as the rest of the team scored just 37 points.

Max Strus was on fire not that long ago but he was held to just nine points meanwhile, Caris Lavert and Darius Garland combined for just 26 points. The rest of the team had a combined two points. However, this Cavaliers team has a ton of potential and has the players to make a run in the playoffs and they will need to play better as a cohesive unit to make that happen.

WHY LOS ANGELES LAKERS WILL COVER THE SPREAD

The Los Angeles are the team to watch out for as they make their playoff push in the Western Conference. There is one thing you don't want and that is to face 'The King' LeBron James with a full head of steam coming into the playoffs. His experience with players like Anthony Davis, D'Angelo Russell, and Austin Reeves can have this Lakers team make a deep playoff run this season.

Right now, the Lakers are playing their best ball, winning eight out of their last 10 games while on a three-game winning streak. During that stretch they have covered the spread in six of those 10 games, most recently covering five out of their last seven. With how LeBron James has been near impossible to stop at this moment if he's on the court along with Anthony Davis it's hard for even the best in the West to compete against them.

FINAL CAVALIERS-CELTICS PICK & PREDICTION

The Cleveland Cavaliers have some uphill sledding ahead of them going against the surging Los Angeles Lakers. The Cavaliers are just 4-6 in their last 10 and even worse they are 3-7 ATS. They are also just 1-4 ATS as the betting underdog during their last 10 games.

The Lakers on the other hand are on a different trajectory coming into the playoffs. They have been dominating on the floor winning eight of their last 10 games and covering six of those games. With the way LeBron has this Lakers team humming it's hard to fade him at this point. Take the Lakers laying the point as they push forward toward the playoffs.

FINAL CAVALIERS-CELTICS PICK & PREDICTION: Los Angeles Lakers -5 (-106)

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