Basketball fans won't have any March Madness games to tune into on Monday, so the pressure is back on with the NBA Three at 3. We're looking to feed you some winners on a night that features the Brooklyn Nets hosting the Utah Jazz on NBA TV.
1. Los Angeles Lakers at Cleveland Cavaliers - 7:00 p.m. ET
The Lakers are set to play in Cleveland this evening, which means LeBron James will be going up against his former team, in his hometown. Look for him to be extremely motivated to put on a show in this one, and don't be surprised if Los Angeles ends up being in this game until the very end. Cleveland is also just 4-9-1 against the spread in its last 15 games, and the team just hasn't had the same magic that it had earlier in the year. The absence of Jarrett Allen has been a huge part of that, as he was such an important player for the Cavaliers on both ends of the floor. Without him, it isn't hard to see a scenario in which the Lakers win this game outright tonight. Just keep an eye on the status of LeBron, who is listed as questionable here.
THE PICK: Lakers +5.5
2. Utah Jazz at Brooklyn Nets - 7:30 p.m. ET
The Nets are 0-10 against the spread when playing at home against teams shooting 46.0% or better from the field this year, and they're also 0-7 against the spread at home against teams that shoot 36.0% or better from three when playing at home. Without Kyrie Irving around, it's just not fair to ask Brooklyn to beat a Utah team that is playing some good basketball right now. Kevin Durant will definitely go off in this game, but he needs help against a squad that has Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. Utah is also 47-30 against the spread when coming off a game in which the team covered since the start of last season. The average margin of victory in that situation saw the Jazz winning by 8.5 points per game.
THE PICK: Jazz -1.5
3. Minnesota Timberwolves at Dallas Mavericks - 8:30 p.m. ET
The Mavericks are 21-12 against the spread when playing against teams with winning records this season, and they're also 15-7 against the spread when playing teams that outscore opponents by at least 3.0 points per game this year. On top of that, Dallas is 11-1 against the spread when playing as a home favorite of 6 or less points this season, with the average margin of victory in those games being 9.7 points per game. And just for good measure, the Mavericks also happen to be 12-3 against the spread when coming off a road loss on the year — and 12-3 against the spread off a road loss by 10 or more since the start of last year. With all of those trends combined with the presence of Luka Doncic, it isn't hard to want to be on Dallas in this one.
THE PICK: Mavs -2
