NBA Picks & Predictions for Thursday, December 2, 2010
By Drew Sharper
CLEVELAND, OH (TheSpread) – LeBron James makes his much-anticipated return to Cleveland on Thursday night when the Cavaliers host the Miami Heat.
Miami is 11-8 on the season but just 2-5 on the road. The Heat have won two straight and 6 of their last 10. Cleveland is 7-10 on the season and 4-5 at home. The Cavs have won just 3 of their last 10 games.
Oddsmakers from online sportsbook Sportsbook.com have released their odds and they have made the Miami a 5.5-point favorite at Cleveland on Thursday. The over/under has been set at 191. Here are some trends to consider and my pick for tonight’s game:
Miami Heat vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, 8PM ET
Miami is just 2-10 against the spread in their last 12 games as a favorite and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games when playing with no days of rest. Cleveland is 22-5 ATS in their last 27 following a straight up loss of more than 10 points. With LeBron returning to Cleveland, this is like the NBA Championship for the Cavs and I think they will have a spirited effort that will be enough to cover.
NBA FREE PICK: CLEVELAND CAVALIERS +5.5