The current, reigning, defending NBA Champions the Cleveland Cavaliers will close their preseason on Tuesday, October 18th when they host the Washington Wizards at the Value City Arena. Being the champions and all, people who bet on NBA should expect the Cavs to be the basketball betting favorites on this and any other occasion, for that matter. But then again that means they were the favorites against the Atlanta Hawks, to whom they lost 93-99 on October 10th. But then again – again – head coach Tyronn Lue decided to sit out LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, Iman Shumpert, Channing Frye, Richard Jefferson, Mike Dunleavy, and ‘Hans’ Chris Andersen.
Second round rookie point guard Kay Felder – whom the Hawks traded to Cleveland on draft night – scored 15 points and had a team-high six assists, while new signee forward Jonathan Holmes also had 15 points as well as five rebounds. It was another new arrival, though, who dominated the boards for the Cleveland; power forward Cory Jefferson with 11 rebounds. On the other hand, shooting guard Jordan McRae had an underwhelming performance.
After shining in the Summer League and scoring 20 points back-to-back against the Magic and the 76ers, McRae went a 1-of-14 from the field and committed six turnovers in 40 minutes. For what it’s worth, McRae did manage to score 12 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals. It will have to be seen whether McRae returns to form in the next two games against the Toronto Raptors and the Chicago Bulls.
Meanwhile, the Wizards lost to the New York Knicks 88-90 when rookie shooting guard Danuel House committed a personal foul on Lance Thomas as the Knicks forward drove up the lane to tie the game with seconds left on the clock. In spite of the loss, there’s reason to be optimistic for Washington fans who bet on NBA; all-star point guard John Wall returned after undergoing knee surgery in May. Although Wall as only on court for 16 minutes – during which he posted 8 points, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds – he could conceivably see more action when the Wizards host the Sixers and visit the Sacramento Kings.
Who knows what will happen between now and October 18th? They may be Wizards in Washington but they don’t have a crystal ball – though many basketball betting fans wish such a device existed. As for the Cavaliers, we know that LeBron James will not be suiting up against the Raptors or the Bulls. Thus, we can safely skip those two games, because it’s not like they really even count.
However, the King is indeed scheduled to play at Value City Arena at The Jerome Schottenstein Center – home of the Ohio State Buckeyes – versus the Wizards. James is averaging 11.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in two preseason games (wins over Orlando and Philadelphia), and since he won’t be playing the intervening games, we can at the very least be sure those numbers will still be updated when October 18th rolls around.