The Cleveland Cavaliers host the Los Angeles Clippers for a midday affair on Sunday. Kawhi Leonard has been ruled out, completely changing the landscape of this game. The Cavaliers are relatively healthy except for backup point guard Ty Jerome. The Clippers look to improve their standings in the West while the Caves maintain their status quo of domination in the East. Let’s see how much Kawhi Leonard affects this betting line.
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Odds
| Team | Spread | Total | Money Line |
| Los Angeles Clippers | +7.5 (-108) | Over 231.5 (-110) | +260 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | -7.5 (-112) | Under 231.5 (-110) | -320 |
| **Odds Subject to Change** | |||
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
- Fixture: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Los Angeles Clippers
- Date and Time: Sunday, 3/30/25 at 2:40 pm CT
- Location: Rocket Arena, Cleveland, OH
Key Stats
Cleveland Cavaliers
Pace: 10th
Defensive Rating: 8th
The Cavaliers hold the East’s one seed. A top-12 team in both pace and defense, they are in cruise control as they coast into the postseason. Max Struss has a chance to play, and we will forecast the game as if he is in.
The Cavaliers are 60.3% against the spread this season, including hitting on 63.8% after a win and 58.8% as the favorite. Our model projects the Cavaliers as 8-point favorites with Kawhi Leonard healthy. With no travel and a full roster, I’ll move that number to nine.
The Cavaliers hit the over in 85.2% of non-conference games and 65.2% as the favorite. No Kawhi Leonard weakens the team’s defense, allowing both Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell to cook. The lack of Clippers’ defense on the perimeter opens up more shooting and easier pick-and-roll opportunities in the paint.
Los Angeles Clippers
Pace: 22nd
Defensive Rating: 3rd
The Clippers look to avoid the play-in games and stay within the top six seeds. They are two games back from a Memphis Grizzlies team swimming in turmoil. A slower pace and high defensive rating make the under seem tempting, but in the last three games, they are averaging 114.3 points, five points over their season average of 109.2.
No Kawhi Leonard? Big problems. His 35.6 minutes in the previous ten games were finally in All-Star territory. The team scored at least 123 points in four of their last five games. Norman Powell is also off a minute restriction and will take on more responsibility with this absence.
Each team was off on Saturday, creating equal rest for both. In those games, the Clippers hit the over 55.6% and 51.9% in non-conference games.
Prediction
The books got this spread right, but without Leonard, we have an edge to take the Cavaliers at home. Recent trends suggest a correlation between the Cavaliers’ winning and the over. Based on each team’s last three games, our model forecasts an expected point total of 236.2. That is five more than the books are giving us now, which means we should be hammering the over as well.
Final Pick
Cavaliers -7.5 (-112) and OVER 231.5 (-110)
2025 NBA Betting Record: 5-4.
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