*NBA(1.5u): Cavaliers -3(-110) @ Pacers–6 PM CT
The Cavaliers recently lost C Jarrett Allen to a finger injury, but this line is a stark overreaction to that injury. Allen only played 10 minutes in Cleveland’s last game, yet the Cavs adjusted and eventually beat the Raptors by 8. Before that, they gave the hottest team in the league(76ers) a run for their money and covered that game. With Darius Garland in the lineup, I fully trust the Cavs in this spot. This is not a particularly great spot for Indiana with this being their first home game off of a 4 game road trip, and they will head right back out on the road after tonight’s game. In that 4 game road trip, the Pacers played the Magic(2x), Pistons, and Wizards, arguably the easiest road trip you could ever muster together. Even so, the Pacers lost 3 out of 4. Cleveland has been trustworthy all season, and with Garland in there, they should take care of business tonight. I leaned this same direction at Cavs -4 this morning, so getting a full point in my favor, I’ll make this a multi-unit play and tonight’s best bet.
*ML Parlay(0.8u): Clemson, Warriors(+110)–3 PM CT
Clemson takes on NC State this afternoon in the opening round of the ACC Tournament. NC State being the lowest seed in this tournament is really saying something given Boston College and Pitt are as bad as they are; this Wolfpack team simply can’t defend. Clemson comes into today having won 4 straight and has hopes of making a deep run in this thing. I think Clemson -5 is a pretty sharp line, but I expect the surging Tigers to win this first round bout.
While the Warriors played in Denver last night, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Andrew Wiggins didn’t even travel to that game, meaning this should be viewed as a pretty good rest spot for the Warriors’ main guys. Golden State has lost 5 straight and 7 out of their last 8, but I think that changes tonight. This team is nowhere near Brooklyn or Lakers territory as far as losing streaks go, and they get a nice revenge spot in this one after losing to the Clippers right before the All Star Break. The Clippers can be a feisty team, but they came back down to Earth in a major way with a 23 point home loss to the Knicks on Sunday. Given that the Clippers don’t step up in competition too well with their limited roster, I like Golden State to get back on track tonight.
