Cleveland Cavaliers Current Record Against The Spread

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been impressive as they have begun an outstanding 8-1 this season after defeating the Lakers on Sunday. However, arguably the more impressive number has been the fact that they are also 8-1 against the spread to begin the regular season.

Today, we are going to be diving into exactly why they are in this position and why their dominance against the oddsmakers can continue to happen, starting tonight against the Clippers.

Defense Does Not Slump

It is common that one night, the offense could struggle, but defense is more of an energy type of system than just pure skill. Their defense has been elite to open the year, as they are second in the NBA with just 104.4 points allowed per game. 

It also is not like they are facing inferior opponents, as they have already played the Toronto Raptors and Chicago Bulls and a pair of games against the Boston Celtics. They are getting a hand up on the opposing shooter’s face as they are fifth in the entire sport with a 44.2 field goal percentage against.

Solid Playmakers Throughout the Roster

Having incredible players really makes covering the spread easier, as they are going to dominate the game. The Cleveland Cavaliers have built a young and hungry roster to the point where they can dominate games and complement one another.

Let’s start with shooting guard Donovan Mitchell, as he is the star player on the team. He is fifth in the National Basketball Association with 31.1 points per game and is facilitating as he also is 12th in league with 7.1 assists, something he has worked on since joining the league. 

Point guard Darius Garland is dealing with an eye injury, but the frontcourt includes power forward Kevin Love, power forward Evan Mobley, and center Jarrett Allen. They have been doing well at defending the paint specifically and making sure they can grab rebounds and limit the opposition to one attempt per possession. 

They also have some good bench options with small forward Isaac Okoro and power forward Dean Wade to facilitate the second unit and not have a drop-off in production.

Conclusion

The Cleveland Cavaliers have an incredible roster and really made the big push this offseason to attack this window by trading for Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz.

They have a bunch of young assets that can grow together and do not seem to have an individual ego but instead are more focused on making sure the team is doing well on both sides of the floor.

There is a reason why the Cavs are leading the entire league with a +12.1 point differential heading into an easier portion of the season. They have an excellent coaching staff, and with the players bought in, they should continue to cover the spread often as the season progresses.