Pelicans vs. Cavaliers prediction and odds for Monday, January 16 (Cleveland stays strong at home)
By Peter Dewey
The Cleveland Cavaliers are back at home on Monday against the New Orleans Pelicans after a bit of a disappointing West Coast trip last week.
Cleveland went just 2-3 on the trip, falling to the No. 5 spot in the Eastern Conference. However, The Cavs have a chance to even things with the Philadelphia 76ers if they can beat the Pelicans on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The Pelicans won’t have Brandon Ingram (toe) or Zion Williamson (hamstring) in this game, which has led to Cleveland moving from a 5.5-point favorite to 6.5 since lines opened.
Is there still value on the Cavs to beat a shorthanded Pels squad? Even if you aren’t sure that the Cavs will cover, there is an offer from BetMGM that will allow you to win no matter what in this game:
BetMGM Cleveland Cavaliers offer
New BetMGM users in Ohio: win $200 on a $10 bet when one 3-pointer is made in the Cavs’ matchup with the Pelicans by following these instructions.
- Sign up for BetMGM using this link
- Deposit $10 or more in your account
- Bet $10 or more on any Cavaliers-Pelicans wager
That’s all you need to do! As soon as one 3-pointer is made in this game, you get $200!
Pelicans vs. Cavaliers odds, spread and total
Pelicans vs. Cavaliers prediction and pick
The Cavs are one of the best home teams in the NBA this season, going 18-4 straight up and 13-7-1 against the spread as home favorites.
New Orleans is now in third in the West, going 5-5 in its last 10 games, and it has been much worse on the road (9-12 straight up) compared to at home (17-5 straight up).
These two teams have both taken a bit of a step back over their last 10 games, ranking 18th (Cleveland) and 19th (New Orleans) net rating over that stretch.
Still, I think Cleveland can cover in this game, as New Orleans’ offense has a limited ceiling without Ingram and Zion.
C.J. McCollum is going to have his work cut out for him for the Pels, especially since Cleveland has been a top-five defense all season long.
Trust the Cavs to cover the spread on Monday.
Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record here.
—
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.