Last night, the Los Angeles Clippers and Cleveland Cavaliers made a blockbuster trade centred around James Harden and Darius Garland. One day later, they battle at Intuit Dome.
The pregame narrative: It's unlikely we'll see Harden (questionable) cross the aisle and immediately play for his new team. Garland, meanwhile, remains sidelined with a toe injury. The Cavs are modest 2-point road favourites after this seismic roster shakeup.
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Check out my same-game parlay Cavaliers vs. Clippers picks, featuring Kawhi Leonard and Sam Merrill.
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Cavaliers vs. Clippers picks
SGP: Cavaliers +6.5 | Leonard over 26.5 points | Merrill 3+ threes (+310)
Cavaliers +6.5 (-360): If this trade were made months ago, when the Cavs were a middling 15-14, I would've thought it was a bit knee-jerk on their part.
But Cleveland has been on a heater lately, and sits near the top of the Eastern Conference at 30-21.
- For you math aficionados out there, that means the Cavs have gone 15-7 in their last 21 games.
- In that span, they've covered a +6.5 spread 80.9% of the time.
- Cleveland has gone 7-2 with a +5.6 net rating (seventh in the NBA) since Garland's injury on Jan. 14.
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Los Angeles has been on quite a run of its own over the last six weeks, but it will certainly miss Harden until Garland is ready to play.
The Clippers are 1-4 against this line without Harden this year.
NBA SGP pick
Leonard over 26.5 points (-118): When Leonard is healthy and on the court, as he is right now, he's simply one of the best players in the game.
The Claw is averaging a career-best 27.6 PPG while boasting near 50-40-90 shooting splits.
And his last 20 games have been particularly impressive:
- 29.8 PPG
- 25+ points 14 times
- 20+ points in every game
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Cleveland is typically a tough matchup for any forward, with reigning DPOY Evan Mobley patrolling the interior. But Mobley is out tonight, which will be a boon for Leonard and the Clippers.
Cavaliers prop prediction
Merrill 3+ threes (-155): Merrill is a stereotypical journeyman guard. He's 29 years old, is starting consistently for the first time in his career, and is lights out from deep.
- Merrill is averaging 3.5 threes on 7.9 attempts per game (45.9%).
- He is 13-5 against this milestone as a starter.
- That includes a 6-of-8 performance from deep in his last game vs. the Portland Trail Blazers.
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Los Angeles allows the 12th-most 3s per game (13.7) at the sixth-highest rate (36.9%).
Cavaliers vs. Clippers picks made at 12:25 p.m. on Feb. 4, 2026.
