Cleveland Cavaliers vs Houston Rockets: Cleveland will try to pick up the fifth straight win

Two teams with a lot of young talent, but with different results. December so far has produced more wins than losses. But there will only be one winner tonight.

You catch yourself thinking that the team, quite unexpectedly, is having one of its best seasons since LeBron left, and it’s doing so with smart, composed play.

In December, the team lost only two of eight games and lost only once at home. Four wins in a row, with that series, J.B. Bickerstaff and company approach their third consecutive home game. At the same time, the Cavaliers still have the second-best defensive rating in the league. And there are no roster losses. That means the team is ready to face their next opponent.

After losing 15 straight games, Houston have now won seven straight. That’s never happened before in NBA history. And frankly, it’s not entirely clear how the team manages to do that. There’s a switch somewhere.

In the seven games played in December, five of the Rockets’ games have gone winless, but still, Stephen Silas’ team has suffered one defeat out of three away meetings. Given that this is the third consecutive away game and the players’ big health problems, the game’s result looks fairly predictable. But Houston have surprised us before, so let’s not write them off altogether.

The Cavaliers look like the unqualified favorites in this game. But we can consider a few different ways to win this game.

• Total Over 216.5 for 1.97;
• W1 and Total Over (216.5) for 2.10;
• Cleveland to win by 14-16 points for 8.00.