The Cleveland Cavaliers are hopeful that they can return to the NBA Finals and, perhaps, bring home another title – this time without LeBron James. Adding Donovan Mitchell to a roster that already has Evan Mobley. Through 24 games, the Cavs are 15-9, sitting in third in the East. Mobley entered the league as a raw 7-footer, but he could follow a path that Giannis Antetokounmpo followed to MVP status, doing the work to change his physical presence so that he can dominate inside, handle the ball outside and basically transform the game for his team. How far will the Cavs go this year? We will see. For your Week 8 NBA betting, we have a couple of matchups for you to check out.
NBA News: Betting Overview for Week 8
→ Tuesday, December 6
Detroit Pistons (+8.5) at Miami Heat (O/U 220.5)
The Pistons start a road swing on Tuesday after losing to Memphis at home on Sunday night, 122-112, a game in which they were a 6 ½-point underdog. Injuries and youth have kept the Pistons from competing so far, as they are in the basement of the Central Division with a 6-19 record, already 11 ½ games back of Milwaukee. The Pistons fell behind 7-0 after the first 1:46 of their game against Memphis and were down 14 after the first quarter, and that set the tone for the game. Saddiq Bey led the Pistons with 24 points, six boards and seven assists, but the team shot just 44% from the floor and were outrebounded by seven. On the season, Detroit is just 23rd in rebounding and 29th in scoring defense, numbers that do not bode well going to Miami.
Miami comes in on the second half of a back-to-back, as they lost in Memphis on Monday night by eight. That came after a big overtime win in Boston on Friday night. The Heat also beat Detroit the last time they met, winning, 105-98 back on March 15. In the 2021-22 season, the Heat won three of four meetings with the Pistons, and this is the first showdown of 2022-23. Miami is 2-2 so far this season in the second game of back-to-backs this year. At home, the Heat are 8-4 this season, although their record against East opponents is 7-8. Scoring has been an issue, as Miami ranks 26th in the league for total offense, and they are 27th in the league in rebounding. Tyler Herro has contributed significantly since returning from injury, as he grabs 6.4 rebounds per game. Bam Adebayo continues to provide solid rim defense and pulls down 9.1 boards per game. This is a big spread, though, and the second night of a back-to-back can see poorer shooting. Pistons to cover.
L.A. Lakers (+5.5) at Cleveland Cavaliers (O/U 225.5)
It looks like the Lakers have started to figure things out, winning three in a row and four of five to move to 10-12. Those three latest wins have come over Portland, Milwaukee and Washington, including a 130-119 win over Washington on Sunday. Anthony Davis has been a beast, putting up 35.3 points, 15.5 boards and 2.8 blocks per game over the last nine, as the Lakers have gone 7-2 during that time. In eight of those nine games, he has shot 60% or better from the floor. He hung 55 points on the Wizards, shooting 73.3% from the floor and making all nine of his free throws. Russell Westbrook has gotten some invigoration in his game after moving to the bench; on Friday, he had 15 points and 11 assists without a turnover in the team’s win over the Bucks.
The Cavaliers come in having won three of five but lost their last time out, 92-81, to the New York Knicks. Their shooting was off, as they shot just 34.9% from the floor and just 22.9% from behind the arc. The Knicks had 56 points in the paint, and Evan Mobley was the only Cleveland starter with a positive plus-minus rating, at +1. Donovan Mitchell is the team’s leading scorer, at 28.7 points per game, and they need his shooting to recover to beat the Lakers. Lakers to cover.
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