LAL
CLE
Los Angeles Lakers @ Cleveland Cavaliers
Any-day matchup · ratings as of
Our pick
LALLos Angeles Lakers
54% to win
A probability, not a promise. A 54% pick still loses about 5 times in 10.
Advantages Why Lakers can win
- The Lakers' shooting (57.2% eFG%, 1st in the NBA) meets a Cavaliers defense that ranks 15th.
- Recent form: average margin over the last five games, Lakers +9.6, Cavaliers +1.0.
- Recent scoring margins: worth about 1.9 points to the Lakers in our ratings.
- Simulation: the Lakers win 5,390 of 10,000 simulated games.
- The Lakers' offense (114.7 points per 100 possessions, 6th in the NBA) meets a Cavaliers defense that ranks 15th.
Disadvantages Why Lakers may not
- The Cavaliers' shooting (55.5% eFG%, 7th in the NBA) meets a Lakers defense that ranks 20th.
- Upset odds: the Cavaliers win 4,610 of 10,000 simulations (46%). A 54% pick still loses about 5 times in 10.
- Home court: the Cavaliers play at home, worth about 2 points in today's NBA.
- The Cavaliers' offense (114.5 points per 100 possessions, 9th in the NBA) meets a Lakers defense that ranks 19th.
- Offensive rebounding (share of misses): Cavaliers 8th (27.0%), Lakers 21st (24.2%).
The line and our numbers
| Market | AZMango | |
|---|---|---|
| Spread | No line yet | LAL -1.3 |
| Total points | n/a | 231.1 |
| Win chance | LAL n/a · CLE n/a | LAL 54% · CLE 46% |
| Fair moneyline | LAL -117 · CLE +117 |
No betting line for this pairing. Odds change all the time, so check a sportsbook before acting on any number here.
10,000 simulated games, possession by possession
- Typical score: Cavaliers 115, Lakers 117.
- 80% of simulations land between Lakers by 18 and Cavaliers by 15.
Side by side
| LAL | CLE | |
|---|---|---|
| 4-1 | Record | 3-2 |
| +1.5 13 | Net rating | +2.7 10 |
| 114.7 6 | Offensive rating | 114.5 9 |
| 113.2 19 | Defensive rating | 111.8 15 |
| 57.2% 1 | Effective FG% | 55.5% 7 |
| 55.2% 20 | Opponent eFG% | 54.2% 15 |
| 14.9 22 | Turnovers per 100 | 14.2 15 |
| 24.2% 21 | Offensive rebound % | 27.0% 8 |
| 36.3% 9 | 3-point % | 35.4% 19 |
| 100.5 23 | Pace | 102.6 14 |
Small numbers are league ranks (1 = best of 30; pace 1 = fastest). Ratings are points per 100 possessions (2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons).
Last 5 meetings
| Date | Season | Score | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-31 | 2025-26 | CLE 113 @ LAL 127 | LAL |
| 2026-01-28 | 2025-26 | LAL 99 @ CLE 129 | CLE |
| 2024-12-31 | 2024-25 | CLE 122 @ LAL 110 | CLE |
| 2024-10-30 | 2024-25 | LAL 110 @ CLE 134 | CLE |
| 2024-04-06 | 2023-24 | CLE 97 @ LAL 116 | LAL |
No betting line exists for a game that isn't scheduled, so this uses our own power ratings (in the backtest they pick about 66% of winners, against about 68% for the closing line), with both teams at full strength.
Basis: power ratings only (no betting line yet). 10,000 simulated games, checked against a walk-forward backtest of 10,227 NBA games since 2018-19. Model version 1. How it works