New Orleans Pelicans vs Cleveland Cavaliers January 31 NBA Betting Preview

New Orleans Pelicans vs Cleveland Cavaliers January 31 NBA Betting Preview

Ayden Fahlstrom
2 years ago
3 min read
The Pelicans Herbert Jones (5) drives and looks to score against the Cavaliers Lauri Markkanen (24) in an earlier contest during the 2021-22 NBA season.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are currently 30-20, as they’ve won eight of their last ten games.

The New Orleans Pelicans, on the other hand, are 18-21, as they’ve lost three straight games.

Betting Odds & Lines

The spread for Monday night is set at CLE -7.5. The over/under is sitting at 210 points.

🏀 Want to practice FREE and LEGAL sports betting on your hometown Cleveland Cavaliers? Click here to enter for your shot to win a $50 VISA gift card! 🏀

Darius Garland Lighting it Up

Darius Garland continues to light it up for the Cavs, as he’s averaging 20.3 points and 11.3 assists per game over their last ten games. 

He has done an excellent job of finding his bigs in their spots throughout that stretch, including Evan Mobley, Kevin Love, Jarrett Allen, and Lauri Markkanen.

He also continues to get to his spots as a mid-range pull-up shooter and within 10 feet of the rim, as he’s shooting over 45 percent from the field in both categories.

Garland has been huge for Cleveland all season long, which is why they’re at the top of the Eastern Conference much sooner than many anticipated. He should be named an All-Star reserve later this week.

Evan Mobley Continues Excellent Play

Evan Mobley has established himself as arguably the best rookie in his draft class thus far, as he’s averaging 16.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game over his last 10.

He’s been a huge beneficiary of Garland’s playmaking skills, but it’s also his footwork and athleticism that has set him up to get nice looks in the mid-range or close to the basket.

The beauty of Mobley’s play recently is that he’s also been extremely efficient on a low volume of shot attempts, as he’s shooting 54.5 percent from the field on just over 12 field goal attempts per night.

Brandon Ingram Remains Out

Brandon Ingram is currently sidelined with a sprained ankle, as the Pelicans have struggled to fill his production.

Jonas Valanciunas may return to action, however, which would give the Pelicans a tremendous interior and mid-range scoring boost.

The Pelicans are coming off a 107-97 loss to the Boston Celtics, as no one was really able to give them production to lead them to a win. 

Jose Alvarado looked good coming off the bench, as he put up 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field.

Josh Hart, Herb Jones, and Willy Hernangomez are all capable of putting in good performances as well.

Cavs Win

The Cavs have an easy opportunity to earn themselves yet another win, as the Pelicans are floundering without their best players in the lineup.

In order for the Cavs to prove they’re legit, they have to prove that their loss to the Detroit Pistons was just an aberration and get back out there and just play their brand of basketball in order to win a game they should easily be able to win.

The deadly combination of Garland and Mobley should be able to carry the Cavs over the top in this one. Cavs should win the game tonight.

Be sure to follow betJACK on all socials @betJACK for latest in sports betting, picks, and much more!

Share article on: