The Cavaliers kick off the second half of the season with a three-game road trip that starts Friday night in the nation's capital (8 p.m. ET, ESPN). Since mid-January, the Cavs have been playing at a whole different level, ranking No. 2 in defensive field-goal percentage and No. 7 in opponent points per game. Cleveland's defense will be put to a test Friday against a Wizards team eager for a victory. Washington has lost six of its last eight.
Line: Cavaliers -3, Total: 198 (check The Linemakers on Sporting News’ odds page for current NBA point spreads and totals)
AccuScore has the Wizards as 58.6 percent favorites to win Friday night. That means they should be about -140 favorites on the money-line. MGM Resorts in Las Vegas is offering Washington at +145, a price worth a play based on AccuScore's projections.
The average score after AccuScore ran its 10,000-plus simulations is Washington 98, Cleveland 96.5. There's about a 55 percent chance the total combined score stays UNDER 198. The total has stayed UNDER in 16 of the Cavaliers' last 24 games, and in five of the Wizards' last six games.
AccuScore Best Bet: There's about a 64 percent chance Washington covers a +3 spread. AccuScore's record in predicting Wizards games against the spread is 18-9 (66.7 percent).
The Linemakers pick: Who are the Vegas guys on tonight?
Projected Leaders
LeBron James: 23 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 4 TOs
John Wall: 17 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 3 TOs
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