The Cavaliers benefit from facing Los Angeles sans Kawhi Leonard (knee). Without him, LA has a -2.1 Net rating, but when he's on the court, it's +8.2...

Cleveland has lost consecutive games, and with Orlando and New York breathing down its neck in the EC standings (all three are tied in the loss column), it needs to play well. The last time these teams played, the Cavs won by ten, as LA couldn't get stops. Donovan Mitchell (26.4 PPG) and Darius Garland (17.9 PPG) give Cleveland a significant offensive advantage with Leonard sidelined.

I'll take the 3.5-point cushion as extra insurance since LA is the more rested team, but I won't be shocked if Cleveland wins straight-up.