Lakers vs Cavaliers Odds, Spread & Predictions for Summer League (July 18)

• The Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers continue in Summer League action Thursday night at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.
• The Lakers scored a tight win Wednesday over the Atlanta Hawks while the Cavaliers fell to Golden State by 10.
• See the latest odds, best prop bets and a prediction for Lakers vs. Cavaliers on Thursday night.

Bronny James and the Los Angeles Lakers take on Craig Porter Jr. and the Cleveland Cavaliers Thursday night at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN. The Lakers and Cavs each sit at 1-2.

Both teams played Wednesday night, with the Lakers defeated the Atlanta Hawks by 1 point while the Cavs fell to Golden State.

Keep scrolling for a look at the latest odds, best prop picks and a prediction for Lakers vs. Cavs.

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Odds

The Cavaliers are favorites for tonight’s matchup, sitting at -5.5 at -115 odds. The Cavs are considerable moneyline favorites at -240 while the Lakers sit at +195.

The Lakers have looked rough this Summer, to say the least. However, Bronny James had a strong game that led LA to a win over Atlanta on Wednesday with Dalton Knecht seemingly shut down for the remainder of Summer League.

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The Over/Under for this matchup has been set at 178.5 on Fanatics. The Cavs are averaging 91 points per game while the Lakers have failed to eclipse 90 in Las Vegas. And being down a top scorer, this game could lean towards the under.

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Summer League Players To Watch

Here’s a look at the top players to watch Thursday between the Lakers and Cavaliers.

Bronny James

We’ve all heard the Bronny James jokes, and we all rolled our eyes a bit when the Lakers selected him at No. 55. And while he struggled to start the Las Vegas Summer League, James had a strong Game 3 against the Atlanta Hawks. Highlights from the game are above.

James went 5-11 from the field with 12 points and a pair of 3-pointers made, a step in the right direction after failing to eclipse double digits in his previous Summer League outings.

Craig Porter Jr.

Porter has been excellent for Cleveland in Las Vegas. The 2nd year guard out of Wichita State totaled 14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals in the Cavs’ last outing. He showed off his ability to facilitate against the Bucks with 7 assists.

Craig Porter Jr. with a nice drive to the hoop pic.twitter.com/N0XxHSnDgK

— Dylan🔮🪼 (@dillybar2145) July 18, 2024

Emoni Bates

Bates is another 2nd-year player that is having a strong Summer League with Cleveland. He’s averaging 17 points per game and dropped 20 in Game 1 against the Orlando Magic.

Assuming Bates and Porter take the court tonight, the Cavs have the better 1-2 punch between these 2 teams. It’s early, but both look like they can contribute at the NBA level very soon.

Knicks vs. Kings Picks & Predictions

Los Angeles was able to squeak out a win on Wednesday against a bad Hawks team missing their No. 1 overall pick. Without Knecht on the floor I’m just not sure Los Angeles will be able to find enough scoring to keep up with Cleveland.

The Cavaliers have seen some strong performances from Craig Porter Jr, but also from former Eastern Michigan F Emoni Bates. I like Bates’ matchup against Colin Castleton, too.

As I mentioned earlier, I’d lean towards the under hitting in this matchup. Cleveland scored 112 against Milwaukee but has been 85 and under in both other matchups. The Lakers have been even worse offensively, even with Knecht on the floor.

LAL vs. CLE picks:

• Cavs -5.5 (-115)
• Under 178.5 (-110)