Cleveland Cavaliers Odds & Betting

Cleveland Cavaliers Odds and Betting

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been indifferent recently, often flattering to deceive out on the court. But now that sports betting is legal in Ohio, there's a lot to be excited about when it comes to betting on the Cavs. 

Here, we explain everything you need to know about Cleveland Cavaliers odds and betting and show you how you can make a profit by betting on the Cavs this season. 

How to Bet on the Cleveland Cavaliers

If you're a huge fan of the NBA or are watching your first-ever game of basketball, the fact that sports betting is now legal in Ohio means you can place a wager on a wide variety of basketball markets. 

The Cleveland Cavaliers have a proud NBA history and have enjoyed huge success on the court in the past. So, why not back the Cavs in more ways than one as they take to the court this season? 

The good news is that there are so many ways to bet on the Cavs and the NBA in general, including: 

The moneyline 

Spread betting

Totals (over/under) betting 

Prop betting 

Parlay betting 

Live betting 

Futures betting

If you've never placed a wager in your life, you might be a little flustered by the terms listed above. But as we explain below, betting on the Cleveland Cavaliers is actually super straightforward. 

But before we explain each betting type in detail, let's look at how NBA odds are represented and what you need to know about betting on basketball. 

How do NBA Odds Work?

Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the US, and the NBA is watched worldwide. As such, you have a vast number of betting markets to choose from, offering you the chance to make a decent profit on your selections! 

But how do NBA odds work? You will see odds displayed in the American, British (fractional), or European (decimal) format. As a US-based bettor, you only need to worry about American odds. 

American odds are presented as a three or four-digit number with a plus or minus sign. The favorite is always given negative odds, while the underdog is given positive odds. 

Let's take a look at a simple NBA example: 

NY Knicks (+210) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (-200) 

As you cas see, the Cavaliers are the favorites in this fixture. The odds offered on the Cavs is -200. This indicates how much money you need to place to win $100. 

As for the underdogs, the odds show how much you will win when you place a $100 bet. In this instance, you would win $210 if you fancied the Knicks. 

Although NBA odds are given in multiples of 100, you don't need to bet $100. You can bet as much or as little as you like, but you will need to work out your odds accordingly. 

So, with the basics explained, let's look at the Cleveland Cavaliers odds and betting you can enjoy in the NBA this season.

Popular Cleveland Cavaliers Odds and Betting Explained

The moneyline 

The simplest way to bet on the Cavs is to place an NBA moneyline bet. In a moneyline, your only job is to pick which team you think will win the fixture. It doesn't matter how many points are scored and when; you only need to decide which team will win at the end of regulation time. 

One thing to note about the NBA moneyline compared to other sports is that the lines aren't often as tight, as there is a significant gulf between certain teams. 

Let's look at how a moneyline bet on the Cavs might look: 

Cleveland Cavaliers (-250) vs. Detroit Pistons (+210) 

In this example, the Cavs are clear favorites to beat the Pistons. We know this because they have negative odds, while the Pistons' odds are positive. 

If you fancy the Cavaliers, you would need to bet $250 to return a profit of $100. If you think the Pistons are capable of an upset, a $100 would wager return you a tidy profit of $210. 

You can bet the moneyline throughout the regular season and into the NBA playoffs, which is a great way to keep things interesting as you follow the Cavaliers on the court. 

Spread betting

Spread betting is super popular in most sports, and basketball is no exception. A spread bet is a form of handicap betting that levels the playing field. The sportsbook decides on the number of points a team can win or lose by to still win the bet. 

The spread is often 2, 3, 5, or 7 points in basketball, and a spread bet on the Cavaliers could look something like this: 

Indiana Pacers +2.5 (-110) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers -2.5 (-110) 

As you can see, the sportsbook has the Cavaliers as favorites to beat the Pacers. If you think the Cavaliers will triumph over the Pacers, they would need to win the game by at least three points for your bet to come in. 

Equally, if you fancy the Pacers, your bet would be good if they don't lose by more than two points. So, if you backed the Pacers and the game finished 110-109 in favor of the Cavaliers, you would still win your spread bet. 

The reason that spread bets are often given in half points is to avoid a push bet. A push bet occurs when the spread is tied and null and voids your bet. When this happens, the sportsbook returns your stake. 

Totals betting (over/under)

If you're on the fence about whether the Cavaliers will win their upcoming fixture, you could opt for a totals bet instead of covering the spread. 

A totals bet is where you wager on the total number of points that will be scored in the game, regardless of which players or team scores them. 

The sportsbook sets the totals line before the action begins, and your job is to decide whether more or fewer points will be scored in the game. The totals line changes from fixture to fixture and is not set in stone.

Here's an example involving the Cavaliers: 

Orlando Magic vs. Cleveland Cavaliers 

Over 228.5 (-110) 

Under 228.5 (-110) 

Let's say that the game finishes 125-98 in favor of the Cavaliers. The total number of points scored in the game is 223, meaning that a bet on the under in this fixture would win. If you bet on the over, you would lose. 

Many NBA fans prefer betting on the over, as it keeps things interesting until the final play. Still, you can bet on whichever outcome you think is most likely, and totals betting is a great alternative to picking a winner. 

Prop betting

Cleveland Cavaliers odds and betting is undoubtedly more fun when you include prop bets. Instead of focusing on the match's outcome, prop bets let you bet on events on the court during the fixture.

Prop betting is so popular today that you can usually choose from hundreds of markets for a single game. They are often split into team and individual props, as illustrated below. 

Cleveland Cavaliers team prop bets 

Will the Cavaliers' combined total points be odd or even? 

Will the Cavaliers or the Knicks reach the 20-point mark first? 

Will the Cavaliers or Mavericks score first in the second?

Cleveland Cavaliers player prop bets 

Will Darius Garland score more or less than 26.5 points against the Hawks? 

Will Jarrett Allen have over/under 6.5 rebounds against the 76ers? 

Will Evan Mobley have over/under 4.5 assists against the Magic? 

The beauty of prop betting is that so many markets and options are available to you. If you spend time researching form and understand how the fixture in front of you is likely to shape up, you stand a great chance of making a profit with prop bets. 

Parlay betting

Betting on your own team is great fun, but what happens if you want to broaden your horizons and bet on other NBA teams at the same time? That's precisely where parlay betting comes in. 

A parlay bet enables you to bet on multiple outcomes simultaneously. NBA fans often bring multiple moneyline bets into the same selection, significantly improving the odds. 

Here's what an NBA parlay bet might look like: 

Cavaliers, Raptors, and Bulls to win (+330) 

Instead of placing three individual moneyline bets on Cleveland, Toronto, and Chicago, a parlay allows you to combine them. While it undoubtedly improves your odds, parlay betting has a catch. 

For your bet to come in, all three selections must win. If the Bulls lose it late in the final quarter, your entire bet loses. So, while a parlay offers you better odds, you must remember that all your selections must occur for your bet to win.

Live betting

Although preparing your betting slip ahead of the upcoming game week makes sense, you can also place bets when the action is underway out on the court. 

Live betting, also known as in-play betting, allows you to bet on the action as it unfolds in front of you. There are dozens of in-play markets for you to choose from, giving you the chance to bet on specific events throughout each quarter. 

You can bet on things like assists, points, and rebounds per quarter or which team will win or lose a half. When you're betting on live NBA markets, you need to be quick, as the action happens quickly out on the court!

Futures betting

Last but not least, you can also place a number of futures bets on the Cavaliers. As the name suggests, a futures bet is concerned with events that will happen later in the season, not just in the upcoming game week. 

There are lots of NBA futures bets to consider, including: 

Cavaliers to make the playoffs? 

Cavaliers to win the Eastern Conference? 

Cavaliers to win the Central Division? 

Cavaliers to be crowned NBA Champions?

Futures bets offer great value in the off-season before a point is made, but you can also wait until some games have played out to see how the Cavs are shaping up. 

Just be mindful that if you wait, the odds will change and are unlikely to be as good as they were during the off-season.