Cavaliers vs Lakers Game Breakdown

Get ready for an electrifying clash as the high-flying Cleveland Cavaliers swoop into the City of Angels to battle the Los Angeles Lakers at the iconic Crypto.com Arena tonight at 10:00 PM EST. This first-round playoff game promises to ramp up the intensity after a series of blowouts left fans craving more competitive action. With the Cavs flying high at the top of the Eastern Conference and the Lakers not far behind in the West, the stakes couldn’t be higher. The betting lines are buzzing, setting the stage for a showdown where every dribble and dunk could shift the odds. Fresh off dominant victories, both teams are looking to carry their momentum into this pivotal matchup. So, as the Cavaliers try to lasso the Lakers in their own backyard, expect a showdown that’s nothing short of legendary!

Game Breakdown

Game Time: December 31, 2024 10:00PM EST

Location: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles

Vegas Odds

	CLE ML	LAL ML	Over/Under	Line
Open	-180	+155	228.5	-4.5/4.5
Recent	-145	+110	229.5	-4.5/4.5
Difference	+35	-45	+1.0	–

Team Performance

LAST 10

9W-1L

AWAY

30W-22L

59.2% Win Probability

LAST 10

6W-4L

HOME

38W-16L

40.8% Win Probability

Previous Matchups

Date		Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Final	O/U
10/30/24	Los Angeles Lakers LAL	23	25	31	31	110	Over
10/30/24	Cleveland Cavaliers CLE	42	25	32	35	134	Over
04/06/24	Cleveland Cavaliers CLE	33	23	22	19	97	Under
04/06/24	Los Angeles Lakers LAL	36	29	25	26	116	Under
11/25/23	Los Angeles Lakers LAL	35	35	23	28	121	Over
11/25/23	Cleveland Cavaliers CLE	40	29	23	21	113	Over
12/06/22	Los Angeles Lakers LAL	26	23	34	19	102	Under
12/06/22	Cleveland Cavaliers CLE	27	30	28	31	116	Under
11/06/22	Cleveland Cavaliers CLE	30	28	29	27	114	Under
11/06/22	Los Angeles Lakers LAL	36	28	16	20	100	Under
03/21/22	Los Angeles Lakers LAL	28	39	29	35	131	Over
03/21/22	Cleveland Cavaliers CLE	35	27	35	23	120	Over
10/29/21	Cleveland Cavaliers CLE	28	26	31	16	101	Under
10/29/21	Los Angeles Lakers LAL	21	33	34	25	113	Under

Cavaliers Vs Over/Under

Lakers Vs Over/Under

Cavaliers Recent Games

Date	vsOpp	Result	Reb	Ast	Tov	Shots
12/30	vs GSW	113-95W	54	25	16	96
12/27	vs DEN	149-135W	38	40	10	96
12/21	@ PHI	126-99W	49	31	13	90
12/20	@ MIL	124-101W	48	30	15	91
12/13	@ WAS	115-105W	50	27	11	91
12/08	vs MIA	113-122L	36	25	9	86
12/07	vs CHA	116-102W	47	28	11	84
12/05	@ DEN	126-114W	47	32	15	94
12/03	@ WAS	118-87W	45	31	11	89
12/01	@ BOS	115-111W	44	22	17	80

Lakers Recent Games

Date	vsOpp	Result	Reb	Ast	Tov	Shots
12/28	@ SAC	132-122W	33	33	11	77
12/25	vs GSW	115-113W	41	30	9	91
12/21	vs SAC	103-99W	48	23	13	83
12/19	vs SAC	113-100W	53	22	10	94
12/15	@ MEM	116-110W	44	23	21	82
12/13	vs MIN	87-97L	53	17	21	86
12/08	@ POR	107-98W	40	25	11	83
12/06	vs ATL	132-134L	40	33	13	99
12/04	vs MIA	93-134L	36	29	13	88
12/02	vs MIN	80-109L	39	19	20	79

Starting Lineups

Cleveland Cavaliers	Proj	L5	L15	S%	S/DFS
Jarrett Allen C	32.0	32.5	31.8	100%	32.2
Darius Garland PG	33.0	42.2	36.0	100%	36.4
Donovan Mitchell SG	43.0	40.9	42.1	100%	42.5
Evan Mobley PF	39.0	31.6	37.9	100%	38.2
Dean Wade SF	19.0	24.5	17.3	53%	19.7

Los Angeles Lakers	Proj	L5	L15	S%	S/DFS
Max Christie SG	21.0	19.2	12.9	27%	18.6
Anthony Davis C	56.0	49.0	51.7	100%	52.1
Rui Hachimura SF	28.0	26.0	24.2	100%	24.5
LeBron James PF	49.0	55.2	49.2	100%	49.5
Austin Reaves PG	35.0	44.7	33.5	100%	33.9

Cavaliers Notable Injuries

Craig Porter Jr. (PG): Avg: 4.6pts, 1.8reb, 1.9ast, 11.1 minutes. Last game: 12/30/24. Impact: 1.2
Tristan Thompson (C): Avg: 2.8pts, 3.1reb, 0.9ast, 10.1 minutes. Last game: 12/30/24. Impact: 1.1
JT Thor (PF): Avg: 3.0pts, 2.1reb, 0.4ast, 11.3 minutes. Last game: 12/30/24. Impact: 1.4

Lakers Notable Injuries

Gabe Vincent OUT (PG/SG): Avg: 3.8pts, 1.3reb, 1.2ast, 19.0 minutes. Last game: 12/28/24. Impact: 2.2
Christian Koloko (C): Avg: 1.7pts, 2.3reb, 0.2ast, 9.2 minutes. Last game: 12/28/24. Impact: 1.0

Top Player Props

This article, published more than 6 hours prior to game time, focuses exclusively on Over prop bets due to the propensity for NBA teams to make last-minute injury adjustments. For the most current prop bets, including any updates closer to tip-off, please refer to the link provided below the table.

		Stat				Over %				Opposing Defense/Game
Player	Team	Prop	Line	Proj	Diff	L5	L10	L15	L30	Opp	Stat	Rank
Rui Hachimura	LAL	Pts	11.5	15.5	+4.0	40%	50%	47%	47%	CLE	+0.1	#18
Jarrett Allen	CLE	Pts	11.5	13.9	+2.4	60%	30%	40%	40%	LAL	-0.1	#14
Max Christie	LAL	Reb	2.5	4.1	+1.6	60%	60%	47%	47%	CLE	-0.8	#2
Donovan Mitchell	CLE	Reb	3.5	4.7	+1.2	80%	70%	73%	73%	LAL	+0.3	#22
Evan Mobley	CLE	Ast	2.5	3.0	+0.5	60%	60%	53%	53%	LAL	+0.1	#15
Dean Wade	CLE	3Pt	1.5	1.8	+0.3	80%	60%	47%	47%	LAL	-0.0	#14

View All Player Prop Projections

Cavaliers Defense vs

Position	Pts	Reb	Ast	Overall	vs NBA
C	#20	#28	#21	#28	7.8%
PF	#9	#21	#22	#17	0.6%
PG	#17	#15	#6	#10	-3.2%
SF	#18	#24	#14	#21	2.4%
SG	#7	#2	#11	#3	-10.3%

Lakers Defense vs

Position	Pts	Reb	Ast	Overall	vs NBA
C	#14	#26	#15	#16	0.5%
PF	#22	#14	#18	#18	0.9%
PG	#20	#7	#20	#18	1.2%
SF	#17	#28	#24	#20	2.2%
SG	#16	#22	#29	#18	0.9%

Team Comparison

Points per Game

121.8

111.1

Rebounds per Game

44.9

41.0

Assists per Game

28.3

26.0

Steals per Game

8.5

7.9

Blocks per Game

4.3

5.3

Shots per Game

89.4

85.8

3-Pointers Made per Game

16.5

12.0

2-Pt Percentage per Game

57.4

55.1

3-Pt Percentage per Game

40.9

34.8

Turnovers per Game

12.7

Fouls per Game

17.8

16.7

Recent Trends

LeBron James (PF) is on a notable streak, exceeding 30 points in 2 consecutive games.
Dalton Knecht (SG/SF): 3 Game Minutes avg jumped 52.2% to 21.1, 13.8 min average previous 3 games.
Sam Merrill (SG): 3 Game Minutes avg dropped 36.1% to 13.6, 21.3 min average previous 3 games.
Shake Milton (PG/SG): 3 Game Minutes avg jumped 33.9% to 27.6, 20.6 min average previous 3 games.
Max Strus (SG/SF): 3 Game Minutes avg dropped 50.4% to 20.6, 41.6 min average previous 3 games.
Jarred Vanderbilt (PF): 3 Game Minutes avg dropped 47.1% to 16.4, 31.0 min average previous 3 games.