Two playoff hopefuls will tangle Wednesday evening when the Cleveland Cavaliers (46-30) face off against the Phoenix Suns (44-31). The Cavaliers won Tuesday against the Jazz and are fighting for second seed, while the Suns are currently in the play-in zone but are just a game back of the sixth and final automatic playoff spot. Phoenix beat Cleveland 117-111 in the first meeting, which did not feature Donovan Mitchell.
Mitchell is expected to play in this game after missing Tuesday’s contest due to injury management. We’ll see if Cleveland rests anyone else on a back-to-back set. Grayson Allen is considered questionable for Phoenix.
The Suns are 5.5-point favorites according to DraftKings Sportsbook with the total coming in at 226.5. Phoenix is -218 on the moneyline while Cleveland is +180.
Cavaliers vs. Suns, 10 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Suns -5.5
The Cavaliers are 5-7-1 ATS on no rest and 8-12-1 with a rest disadvantage, but some of that will be alleviated if Mitchell plays as expected. Cleveland is 13-13 ATS as an underdog this season, going 9-9 ATS as a road underdog. Meanwhile, the Suns continue to struggle against the number at home. They are 14-22-1 ATS at Footprint Center and are 13-17-1 ATS as home favorites.
Phoenix has done better of late, covering in six of the last nine games. I think the Suns have figured some things out and got an important win over the Pelicans last time out. They should be able to handle the Cavs Wednesday night.
Over/Under: Under 226.5
Both teams trend toward the under this season. Cleveland is 37-38-1 to the over while Phoenix is 34-40-1 to the over. The Cavaliers are 16-22 to the over as the road team while the Suns are 17-19-1 to the over as the home side. The last meeting between these teams went just over this number, and that was without Mitchell. However, I do think the trends hold tonight and this game goes under the total.