NBA Betting Odds January 19

Carrie Stroup with your  NBA betting odds for January 19 and a look at two big games for this evening.  Place your 1^st bet, get your 2^nd bet FREE here.

CHICAGO BULLS (27-15) at CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (21-20)

Sportsbook.ag Line: Cleveland -3.5, Total: 206                                                                        

The surging Cavaliers look for their third straight victory when they host the Bulls on Monday night.                                                                                                       

There is no doubt that Chicago is one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference, but it has faltered of late with five losses in the past seven contests. Bettors have been crushed by this club lately as well, with the team covering the spread a mere three times since Dec. 27 (3-10 ATS). It hasn’t even been that the Bulls are losing to tough teams, as they absorbed defeats against Utah and Orlando as double-digit favorites. Their latest challenge was the streaking Hawks and they really had no chance in the affair as they allowed Atlanta to jump out to a 24-16 first quarter lead and forced only nine turnovers the whole game.

The Cavs have also had some struggles in the past few weeks with a 3-9 record (SU and ATS) since Dec. 28. Not surprisingly, many of those losses came without the services of SF LeBron James, who missed eight games in that stretch in which the rest of the team managed a 1-7 record with a putrid 90.6 PPG. Since James' return, the team has gone 2-1 and has upped its offensive game to 111.7 PPG. Cleveland had an impressive victory in its last outing on Friday, as it capped off a brutal five-game road trip with a 126-121 win over the Clippers as 8.5-point underdogs and hit 55.4% of its field-goal attempts.

The Bulls have preferred to play on the road this season, going 15-5 SU (11-9 ATS) away from home, while the Cavaliers are 11-9 SU (7-13 ATS) at Quicken Loans Arena. It was Halloween of this season when these clubs last met and Cleveland had no problem grabbing a 114-108 victory as a 4.5-point underdog that night despite shooting a meager 39.4% from the floor. The Cavaliers really earned that win a 20-11 offensive rebounding advantage and 19 forced turnovers compared to nine turnovers committed, while attempting 33 free throws to just 17 by the Bulls.

In the previous four meetings in Cleveland, Chicago has a 3-1 record (SU and ATS), as it held the Cavs to 88.8 PPG. Trends show that the Bulls are 8-4 ATS (67%) after failing to cover five or six of their previous seven ATS this season, while Cleveland is 8-1 ATS (89%) after four straight games of allowing a shooting percentage of 47% or higher in the past three seasons. Injuries could certainly play a large factor in this one as C Joakim Noah (ankle) and SG Mike Dunleavy (ankle) and are out for Chicago, but SF Doug McDermott (knee) has been upgraded to probable. For Cleveland, PF Kevin Love (back) is also probable, with C Anderson Varejao (Achilles) and SF Iman Shumpert (shoulder) remaining out indefinitely.

Last season the Bulls had the worst scoring offense in the league, but they were able to add PF Pau Gasol (18.9 PPG, 11.4 RPG, 2.1 BPG), and have also seen the breakout of SG Jimmy Butler (20.6 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.8 SPG). This has led to a strong 102.3 PPG (10^th in league) behind 44.7% shooting in the 2014-15 campaign. Unfortunately, their defense has fallen off after being dominant last season, as it is now allowing 99.5 PPG on 44.3% shooting as a team (9^th in league).

PG Derrick Rose (18.0 PPG, 5.2 APG) has started to look like his old self with averages of 28.0 PPG and 8.3 APG over the past three games. Rose did well in the Oct. 31 loss to Cleveland with 20 points (8-of-16 FG) with four rebounds and four assists. Butler has been the difference maker for this team and has continued to be a defensive force with 11 steals in the past three games. He was not on the court against the Cavs earlier this season and has only 6.2 PPG and 2.6 RPG in 19.1 MPG over nine career games (two starts).

Gasol was one of the better offseason acquisitions and he has seven double-doubles over 10 January games, as he is averaging 22.7 PPG (52% FG) in that time. His efficiency was not there against Cleveland in the loss this season, making only 6-of-18 shots and finishing with 15 points and six blocks.

The Cavs are a different team if they are missing some of their stars, but have been able to score 100.7 PPG overall as they make 45.1% FG. Their team is set up to win with offense, and that has been evident with them allowing their opposition to put up 100.7 PPG (12^th-worst in league) on 47.2% shooting (2^nd-worst in NBA). SF LeBron James (26.0 PPG, 7.4 APG, 5.5 RPG, 1.4 SPG) has put up some huge numbers in his three games since returning from injury (33.7 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 5.7 APG), but also struggled with nine turnovers against the Clippers on Friday night. He took a season-high 30 shots when the Cavs defeated Chicago at the start of the season, as he went for 36 points, eight rebounds, five assists, four steals and one block.

PG Kyrie Irving (21.2 PPG, 5.1 APG, 1.5 SPG) was an absolute beast against the Clippers on Friday as he scored 37 points on 12-of-18 shots (5-of-7 threes) and added five assists, four rebounds and three steals. He made 10-of-10 free throws in the first meeting with the Bulls, but will look to improve on his 6-of-17 shooting which led to 23 points in that Halloween matchup.

PF Kevin Love (17.7 PPG, 10.3 RPG) missed the last game with back spasms, but posted a double-double in six of the first nine January contests. He hopes to get back on the court, as he was vital in the win against Chicago on Oct. 31 with 16 points, 16 rebounds and four steals.                                                                            

LOS ANGELES LAKERS (12-29) at PHOENIX SUNS (24-18)                                 

Sportsbook.ag Line: Phoenix -10, Total: 214

The red-hot Suns look for a season series sweep of the miserable Lakers when the teams meet in the desert on Monday night.

Los Angeles continues to have a miserable season, and enters Monday in the midst of a four-game losing skid (0-3-1 ATS), with the first three of those defeats coming at home. Now it must continue a difficult four-game road trip versus a Phoenix team that is averaging 111.4 PPG during a 12-4 SU run (11-4-1 ATS) in its past 16 contests, which includes a perfect 5-0 home record (4-1 ATS). For the season, the Suns are only 11-7 SU (10-8 ATS) at US Airways Center, while the Lakers are 6-14 SU, but 11-9 ATS, on the road. However, Phoenix has beaten L.A. seven straight times at home (6-1 ATS), and is 8-3 SU (7-3-1 ATS) overall in this series over the past three seasons. This includes wins in all three meetings this season by an average of 11.7 PPG.

The Lakers fit into the betting trend of bad double-digit road underdogs (25% to 40% win pct.) going 170-111 ATS (61%) after 2+ straight ATS losses when playing a winning team, but the Suns thrive versus good three-point shooting teams (6+ made threes per game) under head coach Jeff Hornacek, going 65-30 ATS (68%) in this scenario. Although SG Kobe Bryant (fatigue) hasn't played since Thursday, it appears as if he will rest during Monday's game too. SG Ronnie Price (elbow) is also doubtful to play on Monday, while Phoenix has no significant injuries.

The Lakers offense has been horrible over the past eight games with only 91.0 PPG on 42.0% FG and 29.5% threes, which are numbers well below their mediocre season averages of 100.4 PPG (17th in NBA) on 43.7% FG (26th in league) and 35.1% threes (16th in NBA). Defensively, Los Angeles is atrocious, surrendering 106.5 PPG (2nd-worst in league) on 46.8% FG (3rd-worst in NBA) and 37.6% threes (4th-worst in league).

While this is a great ball-handling team with only 12.2 turnovers per game (5th-best in NBA), it holds a minus-1.7 RPG margin on the glass. If SG Kobe Bryant (22.6 PPG, 5.7 APG, 5.6 RPG, 1.4 SPG) doesn't play, SF Nick Young (14.3 PPG, 38% threes) becomes the go-to scorer on the team. He pumped in 23 points in Friday's loss at Utah in that top-scorer role, getting to the foul line 13 times and making all 13 free throws. He also scored 21 points (4-of-6 threes) in his one meeting with the Suns this season, which was a big improvement from the 13.0 PPG (4-of-15 threes) he posted in four meetings last season.

C Jordan Hill (12.4 PPG, 7.9 RPG) tallied his 14th double-double this season on Friday with 16 points and 11 rebounds, and has averaged nearly a double-double against Phoenix this season with 10.0 PPG and 9.0 RPG, but has made only 9-of-28 FG (32%). If Hill struggles with his shot, L.A. will need PF Carlos Boozer (12.5 PPG, 7.0 RPG) to step up his game. Boozer has been quiet versus Phoenix this season with 8.3 PPG and 5.3 RPG in the three matchups, and has also been a non-factor offensively in his past three contests with 6.7 PPG on 43% shooting.

PG Jeremy Lin (10.6 PPG, 4.4 APG, 1.0 SPG) scored only six points with three assists in his 30 minutes on Friday, but has played very well offensively in this season series with 14.3 PPG on 58% FG, but has only six assists and six turnovers in the three defeats.

The Suns offense has been explosive all season with 107.0 PPG (3rd in NBA) on 46.6% FG (7th in league) and 36.1% threes (10th in NBA), but the fast-paced offense leads to 14.7 turnovers per game (6th-most in league). The up-tempo style allows opponents to score in bunches too, as Phoenix surrenders 104.7 PPG (3rd-most in NBA) despite respectable shooting defense numbers of 45.4% FG (18th in league) on 35.2% threes (16th in NBA). The club is actually worse on the boards than L.A., as the Suns have a minus-2.2 RPG margin this season.

Five Phoenix players average more than 13 points per game, led by SG Goran Dragic (16.9 PPG, 4.1 APG, 3.6 RPG) who shoots 51% FG and 35% threes on the season. He has scored 19.5 PPG during his team's two-game win streak, and has also lit up the Lakers this season with 19.3 PPG on 50% FG (4-of-9 threes) with 4.7 RPG.

PG Eric Bledsoe (16.4 PPG, 5.9 APG, 5.2 RPG, 1.6 SPG) is the team's most important player, who has 50 assists and only 19 turnovers (2.6 Ast/TO ratio) in the month of January. He has been outstanding in this area versus the Lakers too (3.6 Ast/TO ratio) to go along with 14.7 PPG (47% FG, 4-of-7 threes), 6.0 APG, 4.7 RPG and 1.3 SPG.

When this team goes to a three-guard lineup, PG Isaiah Thomas (14.3 PPG, 3.7 APG, 39% threes) speeds up the pace. He has scored only 11 points on 4-of-12 shooting in the past two games combined, but has been a big part of why his team is on the verge of a season sweep. In the three wins over L.A. this season, Thomas has 20.0 PPG on 62% FG (8-of-12 threes) with 16 assists, six steals and only three turnovers in the three meetings combined.

PF Markieff Morris (15.5 PPG, 5.9 RPG) has pumped in 21.7 PPG (58% FG) with 5.7 RPG in his past three games, and has also played well versus the Lakers this season with 15.7 PPG (50% FG), 6.7 RPG and 3.3 APG.

- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter

- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com