The Cleveland Cavaliers (19-16) welcome in the Denver Nuggets (23-10) after victories in three home games in a row. It starts at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, January 2, 2026.
The Cavaliers head into their game against the Nuggets as double-digit favorites. The Cavaliers are favored by 13 points. The matchup features a point total of 235.5.
Cavaliers vs. Nuggets betting odds
NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Thursday at 7:29 p.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.
Spread: Cleveland -13Total: 235.5Moneyline: Cleveland -543, Denver +400
Nuggets at Cavaliers odds, spread, & morePredictionPick ATS: Nuggets (+ 13)Pick OU:
Over (235.5)Prediction: –
Nuggets 121 – Cavaliers 120MoneylineThe Cavaliers have gone 17-12 in games they were favored on the moneyline (winning 58.6% of those games).Cleveland has gone 4-1 when playing as a moneyline favorite with odds of -543 or shorter (winning 80%).The Cavaliers have an 84.4% chance to win this game based on the moneyline’s implied probability.The Nuggets have entered the game as underdogs five times this season and won three of those games.Denver has not entered a game this season with longer moneyline odds than +400.The implied probability of a win by the Nuggets based on the moneyline is 20.0%.Against the spreadThe Cavaliers put up only 1.6 more points per game (119.6) than the Nuggets give up (118).When Cleveland puts up more than 118 points, it is 9-8 against the spread and 13-4 overall.Denver has put together a 16-11 ATS record and a 19-8 overall record in games it scores more than 117.1 points.Cleveland is 12-15 against the spread and 17-10 overall when it allows fewer than 125.1 points.The Cavaliers are the league’s eighth-ranked scoring team (119.6 PPG), while the Nuggets allow the rank 21st in points per game (118) in NBA play.Denver is the NBA’s highest-scoring offense (125.1 PPG), while Cleveland is the 17th-ranked defense (117.1).The Cavaliers have totaled a total of 87 more points than their opponents this year (an average of 2.5 per game), and the Nuggets have out-scored opponents by 235 points on the season (7.1 more per game).Over/UnderCleveland has an average implied point total of 122.1 this year, which is 1.9 points lower than its implied total in Friday’s game (124).So far this season, Cleveland has scored more than 124 points in 14 games.Denver’s average implied point total on the year (122.2 points) is 11.2 points higher than its implied total in this matchup (111 points).How to watch Cavaliers vs. Nuggets