Portland Trail Blazers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers November 23 Betting Preview

The Cleveland Cavaliers (11-6) took care of business at home against the Atlanta Hawks their last time out, as they've now won three straight games.

The Portland Trail Blazers (10-7) have been struggling after a hot start to the season, as they've lost three straight games and four of their last five.

Cleveland Cavaliers Betting Preview

The Cavs' elite backcourt of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland stepped up big time for them in their most recent win against the Hawks.

Mitchell exploded for 29 points, nine assists, and three steals, and Garland added 26 points and nine assists.

The synergy between Mitchell and Garland is still developing, but both are so great at creating their own offense on and off the ball, which opens things up for the rest of their offense to do some serious damage.

The gravity both guards attract allows Jarrett Allen to get free underneath the rim and for Evan Mobley to post up with more space around him to hit the mid-range jumper.

Cedi Osman stepped up for a Cavs team missing several depth pieces, as he put up 23 points on 8-of-10 shooting.

The Cavs have such a great team on both ends of the floor, as they rank sixth in offensive rating and third in defensive rating.

With the rim protection of Allen and the perimeter defenders the Cavs possess, it's not easy to score on this team.

Portland Trail Blazers Betting Preview

The Trail Blazers will be without Damian Lillard, as his return has catapulted this team back into serious contention in the Western Conference.

Anfernee Simons has stepped up his play in the absence of Lillard, as he's put up 29 and 23 points, respectively, in his last two games. 

Jerami Grant, Jusuf Nurkic, and Josh Hart have all also been called upon to help fill the void left behind Lillard, and while this offense has still put up over 110 points in the two games Lillard has been out, their defense just hasn't been enough to pull out ahead against their opponents.

The Blazers are a middle-of-the-pack shooting team, as they prefer to attack the rim to get their offense and will settle for the mid-range jumper at times.

With the defensive schemes the Cavs throw out, it could be tough for the Blazers to muster enough offense without their top scorer in Lillard.

Odds

The Cavs are favored by a -8 spread, which is right around where you'd expect.

The Cavs have been rolling recently, as they've won all of their last three games by double digits and beaten quality teams in the process.

Expect the Cavs to keep their foot on the gas pedal and take care of the visiting Trail Blazers ahead of their Thanksgiving meal while covering the spread.