Lakers vs. Cavaliers Picks & Odds: January 28, 2026

Barring some unforeseen blockbuster trade, Wednesday will likely mark one of the last times LeBron James (O23.5 points, -114) competes in front of a hometown crowd on the road against the Cleveland Cavaliers (-3, -110). The visiting Los Angeles Lakers (+3, -110) enter as the betting underdogs, even though Cleveland is without two of its best players.

Here's an expert pick and player prop for this matchup at Rocket Arena, including an OVER on a combination prop at -104 value for a Cavaliers guard.

Lakers vs. Cavaliers Odds Tonight

Matchup: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, 7 p.m. ET

Team	Spread	Money	Total
Los Angeles Lakers	+3 (-110)	+130	O 235.5 (-110)
Cleveland Cavaliers	-3 (-110)	-154	U 235.5 (-110)

Lakers vs. Cavaliers Expert Picks Tonight

Los Angeles Lakers ML (+130)

Oddsmakers are giving the Cavaliers a ton of credit here as the three-point favorites with both Evan Mobley (calf) and Darius Garland (toe) sitting due to injury. Perhaps it's because Cleveland has strung together four-straight victories with a 13-6 record since Dec. 22, putting it only two games back of the second seed in the Eastern Conference. The Mobley absence perhaps hurts more than Garland's, as the Cavaliers are 15-7 this season without the former but only 3-3 sans the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. That certainly helps the Lakers' cause on Wednesday, as they're 3-1 away from Crypto.com Arena over their last four outings, both in the win-loss column and on the spread. Cleveland is also 3.9 points per 100 possessions worse offensively and 2.9 points per 100 possessions worse defensively without Mobley, as well.

Being an underdog hasn't resulted in much success for Los Angeles, though. Whenever entering a matchup as an underdog of at least three points, the team has gone just 2-5 with two covers, with the last win coming on Nov. 3. Something has clicked during this recent five-game stretch (4-1), at least, as Los Angeles has ranked in the top 10 both offensively (116.2 points per 100 possessions, 6th) and defensively (109.3 points allowed per 100 possessions, 9th) with three road wins and a quality home victory over the now 29-19 Toronto Raptors. One would also think that the 41-year-old veteran James may have the added incentive of wanting to put on a show in front of Cleveland's faithful, having averaged a staggering 30.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 6.3 assists in six career games against the Cavaliers in their backyard while suiting up for the Lakers.

Getting the visitors at a plus-money return is being gifted on a silver platter, especially with those aforementioned injuries. Cleveland's current ongoing momentum will lead you in one direction, but Los Angeles is in just as much of a groove and has more bodies at its disposal.

Lakers vs. Cavaliers Prop Tonight

Jaylon Tyson OVER 22.5 Points + Rebounds (-104)

Jaylon Tyson has gone OVER a combination prop of 22.5 points and rebounds in four of his last six appearances for Cleveland, with his pair of UNDERs barely coming up short at 21 and 22, respectively. Having wagered on this prop fairly regularly in the past, oddsmakers have given this number a slight bump, factoring in Mobley being out of the lineup. In five games without his All-Star teammate in the frontcourt, Tyson has reached an OVER three times, with two coming as a reserve. He's averaging 18.1 points and six rebounds over the last nine games after stringing together four games in a row of single-digit scoring, and with no Mobley and Garland, this should be a fairly straightforward OVER on Wednesday.

Lakers vs. Cavaliers Trends Tonight

*All trends courtesy of Outlier

The UNDER hit in six of the Cleveland Cavaliers' last eight games as a favorite.
Jaxson Hayes has exceeded 5.5 points in seven of his last eight games (7.5 points/game average).
Rui Hachimura has failed to exceed 12.5 points in eight of his last 10 games (10.4 points/game average).
Donovan Mitchell has failed to exceed 7.5 1Q points in six of his last seven games at home (5.6 1Q points/game average).