Portland at Cleveland NBA Opening Lines

Each year it seems as though we all get a little too heavy handed with the expectations for a few teams in the NBA. No team came into this season with larger expectations that the Cleveland Cavaliers, and it is beginning to look as though they are starting to buckle a little under that pressure. They will have another tough match-up on Tuesday when they welcome in a suddenly hot Portland Trail Blazers.

Portland Trail Blazers at Cleveland Cavaliers NBA Opening Lines

Date/Time: Tuesday, December 08, 2015 7:00 PM ET Venue: Quicken Loans Arena Opening Lines: Portland +9.5 (-110), Cleveland -9.5 (-110) (Live Stream Options)  

Amazing assists, -sized efforts and a whole lot of swish… See what made #CavsTV‘s cut in our latest TOP PLAYS! https://t.co/Jv8IGdTU07

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) December 7, 2015

  LeBron James has taken to the media to talk about how his Cavaliers (13-7) team needs to be hungrier and more focused. Those pleas were not really taken that seriously, as those losses were coming at fairly infrequent intervals. People are now starting to pay attention, though, as the Cavaliers are coming off a week where they lost all 3 of their games. Yes, some of their early season woes can be directly tied to injuries, but there is also no denying that this team is not anywhere near the level they need to be at if they are to be considered a serious contender. There has to be a little bit of gloating going on in Miami, too, as the Heat have now overtaken Cleveland for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. With the Cavaliers shooting just 40% from the floor as a team, the decision to rest LeBron against the Heat seemed like an odd one, and it came back to bite them, as Miami rolled to a 99-84 win on Sunday. The Cavaliers need a much better week this time around if they don’t want to slip even further off the pace. The last time the Trail Blazers (9-12) won a championship was back in 1977, which means there has been little to cheer about in Portland since then. That all changed with the Portland Timbers winning the MLS Championship on Sunday, and putting the Trail Blazers in the uncomfortable position of being the underachiever in the city. It has not been the best start to the year by Portland, but a couple of back to back wins to end the week should have them coming into this one feeling pretty good about themselves. They are in the midst of a 4-game road trip that will continue in Milwaukee on Monday before heading to Cleveland. It has been a bit of a struggle on the road for Portland this season, with just a 4-7 record to show for their efforts. This is a team that is starting to score, though, and that could present a problem for a struggling Cavaliers offense.

Key Betting Trends

• Cleveland is 3-5-1 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Portland
• Cleveland is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing Portland
• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cleveland’s last 5 games when playing Portland
• Cleveland is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Portland
• Cleveland is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games when playing at home against Portland
• The total has gone OVER in 5 of Cleveland’s last 6 games when playing at home against Portland
• Portland is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing Cleveland
• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Portland’s last 5 games when playing Cleveland
• Portland is 3-7-1 ATS in its last 11 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
• Portland is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
• The total has gone OVER in 5 of Portland’s last 6 games when playing on the road against Cleveland

Consider This Before Placing Your Bet

The home team has gone 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings, which would suggest that the Cavaliers should come away with the win here. I think they will do just that, but I also expect it to be a close one.