Suns vs Cavaliers

2023 - 1 - 9

Post cover — Image courtesy of "Sports Illustrated"

Suns vs. Cavaliers Game Preview (Sports Illustrated)

The Phoenix Suns look to snap a five-game losing streak tonight as they take on the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Currently holding a record of 20-20, the Suns are at risk of dropping to under an under .500 record for the first time this season. At this point of the year the Suns have no reason to be comfortable. Ayton, being one of the better scoring centers in the NBA, should be a handful to deal with for Allen on the defensive end. Since Allen arrived in Cleveland during the 2020-21 season, he has become a force both on the offensive and defensive end. If the Suns are going to compete with a strong team like the Cavaliers, they will need to see improvement from their bench. The Cavaliers on the other hand could be without point guard Darius Garland, as he is questionable with a thumb injury.

Suns vs. Cavaliers Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for January 8 ... (The Duel)

Find Suns vs. Cavaliers predictions, betting odds, moneyline, spread, over/under and more for the January 8 NBA matchup.

Cavaliers vs Suns Picks and Predictions: Spread Not Reflective of ... (Covers.com)

NBA odds, picks, and predictions for the Cleveland Cavaliers at Phoenix Suns on January 8. NBA betting best bet and free pick analysis.

But again, the Cavs have rallied to their defensive identity when coming off a loss, which is why the Under is 6-2 in the Cavaliers' last eight games following a loss. The Suns have shown flashes of life here and there, but they’re well on their way to being a Play-In team at their current level of play. Even in the game they nearly beat Cleveland on Wednesday they only managed to score a grand total of 88 points. But they are just so much more talented at every position than this version of the Suns and they’ve proven resilient following a loss like the one they just suffered to the Denver Nuggets. The Cavaliers are just 1-5-1 against the spread in their last seven games. The Cavaliers are 5-1-2 ATS in their last eight games following a loss of more than 10 points. Phoenix has a had 108.6 offensive rating over the last seven games, which would be the league's worst over a full season. But a lot had to break right for Phoenix for it to get to that point, and after playing 40 minutes that night, Chris Paul could only manage 12 in their next game against the Miami Heat. What they have left in the cupboard just does not rate next to Cleveland's embarrassment of riches. With Cameron Payne expected to miss Sunday’s game, the Suns are desperate for ball handling and creation. The Suns have a -4.2 spread differential in that same span, as they’re routinely not meeting even lowered expectations set by sportsbooks. Suns believe that Phoenix is too banged up to keep things close in this rematch with Cleveland and Donovan Mitchell.

NBA picks: Cavaliers vs. Suns prediction, odds, over/under, spread ... (DraftKings Nation)

We go over some of the best betting options for Sunday's matchup between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Phoenix Suns.

Take the Cavaliers to win and cover in this contest. The last meeting was a low-scoring defensive contest but teams tend to do better against each other in subsequent meetings. The Cavaliers defeated the Suns 90-88 in the last meeting on January 4.

Cavaliers vs. Suns Odds, Pick, Prediction: Back Cleveland to Beat ... (The Action Network)

Chris Baker breaks down Sunday's NBA matchup between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Phoenix Suns and shares his best betting pick.

The injuries are piling up for the Suns, and it is hard for me to envision their path to victory against this Cavs team. As I mentioned above, this Cavs defense already proved that it can force this Suns team into tough looks, and I expect that to continue here in this spot. Keep in mind that the Suns will be down Cameron Payne, their second-leading player by Assist Rate, for this second matchup with the Cavs. Phoenix doesn’t have the mid-range shooters to punish teams with Booker out of the lineup, and it showed as the Suns shot just 35.3% on their midrange looks. The Cavs defense did an excellent job against this Suns team on Wednesday as they allowed just 88 points across 94 possessions. Will that urgency be enough to carry them to a win against a shorthanded Cavs team?

Cleveland Cavaliers-Phoenix Suns: Odds, injuries, lineups ... (King James Gospel)

The Cleveland Cavaliers just defeated the Phoenix Suns in a close game on Wednesday night, then at home. Can they do the same on the road?

And for fans out of market and/or without those channels, NBA League Pass should have it. Following those outings, they’ll wrap this current roadie at the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night. That, and Donovan Mitchell sitting in that one because of rest didn’t bode well for the Wine and Gold, and Cleveland looked choppy at times on offense after half, too, in According to FanDuel, the Cavaliers are favored over the Suns by 4.5 points. In that outing, the Cavs did just enough to come back late in The moneyline for Cleveland is -184 and for Phoenix is +154; the over/under is currently set for 214.

Cleveland Cavaliers at Phoenix Suns: Odds, preview, injury report ... (cleveland.com)

PHOENIX -- The Cavaliers take on the Suns for the second time in five days on Sunday. Tipoff from Phoenix is at 8 p.m. ET. The Cavs just got a 90-88 win ...

Torrey Craig, forward, 8.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.5 apg. Deandre Ayton, center, 17.6 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 1.9 apg. Mikal Bridges, forward, 15.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.2 apg. Landry Shamet, guard, 9.5 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 2.1 apg. [Caesars Ohio Sportsbook](https://www.cleveland.com/betting/ohio/caesars/) is open for bets now that Ohio sports betting has launched. Chris Paul, guard,13.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 8.3 apg. Evan Moley, forward, 14.2 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 2.7 apg. Jarrett Allen, center, 13.6 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 1.4 apg. Lamar Stevens forward, 6.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 0.7 apg. Darius Garland, guard, 21.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 7.8 apg. PHOENIX -- The Cavaliers take on the Suns for the second time in five days on Sunday. Donovan Mitchell, guard, 29.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 4.9 apg.

Cavaliers vs. Suns - NBA Game Recap - January 8, 2023 | ESPN (ESPN)

Visit ESPN for the game recap of the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Phoenix Suns NBA basketball game on January 8, 2023.

[Mikal Bridges](http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3147657/mikal-bridges) scored 15 and [Deandre Ayton](http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4278129/deandre-ayton) added 14. Cleveland used a 14-0 run to take a 35-26 lead by the end of the first quarter. The Suns now have a 20-21 record, which is the first time they have been under .500 all season. But a group of mostly reserves, led by The Cavaliers won for the fourth time in five games. The effort, the intensity.”

Shorthanded Suns put in resilient effort, eventually lose steam vs ... (Arizona Sports)

The Phoenix Suns had their most positive bit of play yet in the last two weeks but still couldn't come up with a win.

At that point, he’s somewhere within 8-16 feet of the basket, and he has to make the right decision on whether to shoot it, move it or get to the rim. That’s where he can get to his uber-efficient middy, a shot he has failed to find a feel for in the last month despite having a knack for it the last two seasons. This is that real next step we see future young stars go through in their second or third season, like Booker did when defenses started to treat him as a primary or secondary option as ball-handlers and learning the level ups that forces their development. While Sunday is going to go down as one of his worst shooting games of the year, 6-of-16, he did a great job of being direct with his choices at the right tempo. If Ayton and Bridges find their flow, it will rub off on the supporting cast in the same way it positively impacts them when Booker and Paul are in sync. That’s something both he and Bridges are figuring out on the fly in hyper-increased roles, and the most recent loss to the Cavaliers was the best performances from the duo yet. (Assistant) coach (Steve) Scalzi talks to me about the heartbeat of the game and knowing when to go, knowing when not to go and that’s something that I’m just continuing to instill in my brain and continuing to get better.” Phoenix didn’t get flustered by this and stuck with it through everything that had been working, and even with a 60% shooting mark for the Cavaliers (26-15) in the first half, it was within three at halftime. “And for us, the community has to play in 0.5, paint-to-great, all the stuff we talk about. But for a two-way player to stay with it like he does while being as crucial as he is, is really impressive. This put the Suns in a near-impossible position, without a natural point guard. When someone mentions pace in basketball, the first thing most think of is running up and down the floor quickly like Steve Nash.

Cavaliers vs. Suns - NBA Game Recap - January 8, 2023 | ESPN (ESPN)

Visit ESPN for the game recap of the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Phoenix Suns NBA basketball game on January 8, 2023.

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