NBA: Cleveland Cavaliers at New Orleans Pelicans
Andrew Wevers / USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Cavaliers (44-28) will try to maintain their lead over New York for fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings when they face the Washington Wizards (32-32) on Friday night. Cleveland had won five out of six games prior to its 118-109 loss to Philadelphia on Wednesday. Washington is a half-game ahead of Indiana for the final spot in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament.  

Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET from Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Cleveland is favored by 5.5 points in the latest Cavaliers vs. Wizards odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under is set at 219.5. Before entering any Wizards vs. Cavaliers picks, you'll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past four-plus seasons. The model enters Week 22 of the 2022-23 NBA season a stunning 64-33 on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,700. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Cavaliers vs. Wizards. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for Cavs vs. Wizards:

  • Cavaliers vs. Wizards spread: Cavaliers -5.5
  • Cavaliers vs. Wizards over/under: 219.5 points
  • Cavaliers vs. Wizards money line: Cleveland -225, Washington +185
  • Cavaliers vs. Wizards picks: See picks here

Why the Cavaliers can cover

Cleveland is coming off a tough loss to Philadelphia, as the 76ers won the fourth quarter by a 34-26 tally. Cavaliers center Evan Mobley posted a double-double with 13 points, 12 rebounds and five assists, while shooting guard Caris LeVert scored 24 points on 8 of 14 shooting off the bench. The Cavs are in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings and are 2.5 games ahead of New York, so they will want to maintain that advantage. 

The Cavaliers have already notched a pair of wins over Washington this season, cruising to a 114-91 win at Washington on Feb. 6. All five of their starters were in double figures by halftime, and Darius Garland finished with 23 points on 9 of 15 shooting. Cleveland is 7-2 in its last nine home games and has covered the spread in four of the last six meetings between these teams. 

Why the Wizards can cover

Washington is sitting a half-game ahead of Indiana and Chicago for the final spot in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament, so it cannot afford a loss on Friday night. The Wizards cruised to a 117-97 win over Detroit on Tuesday, covering the 13.5-point spread at home. Star guard Bradley Beal poured in 36 points and dished out seven assists, shooting 13 of 15 from the floor. 

He had five teammates score in double figures as well, with center Kristaps Porzingis finishing with 18 points and seven rebounds. Cleveland center Jarrett Allen, who scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the Feb. 6 meeting between these teams, is going to miss Friday's game with an eye injury. Washington has won nine of its last 13 road games, and Cleveland is 2-4 against the spread in its last six games. 

How to make Cavaliers vs. Wizards picks

The model has simulated Wizards vs. Cavaliers 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Over, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 60% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Cavs vs. Wizards? And which side of the spread is hitting well over 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine to see which side of the Wizards vs. Cavaliers spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.