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The Los Angeles Lakers have shown there's potential for a successful future, but Thursday night they face the present, taking on LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in a nationally televised 8 p.m. ET showdown (TNT). The Lakers have won two of three as a four-game road trip concludes in Cleveland. The Cavs have won 15 of 16.

The Cavaliers are 9.5-point favorites. The Over-Under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 219.5. 

Before picking either side, you need to read what SportsLine NBA expert Galin Dragiev has to say about it. "The Dragon" learned early on to predict the outcome of the game before determining how success trickles down to individual players, so he spent more time studying team outcomes than projecting individual players. When it comes to predictions, he trusts numbers above all else.

When it comes to the Cavs, Dragiev is on target. He's 16-7 in his last 23 picks against the spread involving Cleveland, a red-hot 70-percent winning percentage.

LeBron James has been his dominant self, averaging 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 9.0 assists, and leads the team in blocks, steals and field goal percentage.

It seems like a long time ago that the Cavs lost to the downtrodden Hawks and were edged by the Rockets to fall to 5-7 on the year.

Since the loss to Houston back on Nov. 9, Cleveland has just one defeat on its ledger and is now 20-8 and second only to Boston in the Eastern Conference.

James had 25 points and 17 assists in a 123-114 win over the Hawks on Tuesday, while Kevin Love had 17 points and 12 rebounds, his fifth double-double in six games and 18th through 27 games played.

Cleveland is still looking for that No. 3 scorer to take pressure off James and Love. Dwyane Wade averages 11.5 points off the bench. All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas hopes to make his debut later this month.

The Lakers (10-16) had shown considerable improvement since the season started, but a five-game losing streak from Nov. 22 to Dec. 3 torpedoed the team's record.

Wins over the Sixers and Hornets in the last week showcased the kind of depth the Lakers have relied upon. Seven players scored in double figures in a 107-104 win over Philly and six had 12-plus points in a 110-99 win over Charlotte.

The second unit has been as good as the first. Kyle Kuzma has started in 11 of 25 games and averages a team-high 16.1 points per game. Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle come off the bench and average 15.0 and 12.4 points, third- and sixth-most.

Will the Cavs continue their dominating streak, or can the young Lakers hang long enough to at least cover the point spread? Dragiev's pick against the spread is in. Visit SportsLine to see what side of Cavs-Lakers you need to be all over, all from the expert who's 16-7 on Cavs' games, and find out.