NBA Odds: Cavaliers vs. Wizards NBA Picks – November 18, 2009: The sports betting odds favorites (8-3) Cleveland Cavaliers [-5] travel to the nation’s capital to take on the sports betting odds underdog (2-7) Washington Wizards [+5] tonight. This Eastern Conference contest has a scheduled opening kickoff slated for 7:10 PM ET and it will be broadcasted live on ESPN.

The Cavaliers enter this NBA Odds contest leading the way in the Central Division despite suffering from many injuries. The Wizards, meanwhile, come into this home game sitting in last place in the Southeast division. According to NBA Odds makers and NBA Picks experts at Bodog.com, the OVER/UNDER for this Cavaliers vs. Wizards November 18, 2009 game has been set at a combined total of 196 points scored.

For the visiting Cavs, the absence of Shaquille O'Neal and Anderson Varejao, who will both likely miss tonight’s game, has forced LeBron James to pick up his level of play early on in the season. The reigning NBA MVP will to do it again tonight against a struggling Wizards team that has lost 6 consecutive games.

Cleveland has won 5 straight and 8 of its last 9 contests, despite being short-handed ion the frontcourt. "Your rhythm is going to change. There's no way to stay away from it," James said. "As long as we continue to go with the game plan and play hard, we'll give ourselves a chance to win. We've got guys out on the court who have been in these situations time and time again."

For the hosting Wizards, this season has gotten off to yet another dreadful start. Even with Gilbert Arenas back in the lineup, Washington’s fortunes haven’t improved much from when he was sidelined. For Agent Zero, who’s leading the team with 23 points and 6 assists per game, it’s all-mental at this point.

"I find myself doing more thinking than I am just reacting, off my instincts," Arenas said. "Players in this league, they react. I was a reactor. Now I find myself being a thinker… There's always a half or a quarter where I don't shoot or I don't score. Before, in (Eddie Jordan's) system, he needed me to score 30. In this system, I don't have to.

"Me sitting, not shooting for a whole quarter, doesn't really bother (me), because we have other players that's scoring. But then when I try to get in a rhythm, I just don't have that feel, so I have to try to find a way to keep myself in the game the whole time."

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