NBA Tuesday Preview - King James and Kobe on the Hard Court

Fans of NBA betting have a handful of intriguing matchups to wager on Tuesday. Top teams in both conferences are in action. Here are two games highlighting the schedule . . .

Washington Wizards at Cleveland Cavaliers

The Washington Wizards test their might against one of the contenders in the East on Tuesday. Washington has looked much improved with a healthy Gilbert Arenas at the wheel. He's started the season averaging 28 points over their first three games, including a 32-point performance against the New Jersey Nets on Halloween night. The Wiz are getting surprise production from reserve center Andray Blatche, who scored 30 against the Nets and is scoring 21 points per game to start the schedule.

Cleveland Cavaliers finally got their season on track with back-to-back wins - the most recent against the Charlotte Bobcats on Sunday night. The Cavaliers have struggled to score in the opening slate, putting up just over 93 points per game. LeBron James struggled against the Bobcats, shooting 5-for-11 for just 14 points. The NBA's reigning MVP will need to pick up his production if he wants to hang with the Wizards, who have covered against the NBA pointspreads in their last four games against Cleveland.

Los Angeles Lakers at Oklahoma City Thunder

The defending NBA champs bounced back from a poor showing against the Dallas Mavericks with a 118-110 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday. Star guard Kobe Bryant scored 41 points, while offseason acquisition Ron Artest locked down Atlanta shooter Joe Johnson for just nine points in the final three quarters after Johnson exploded for 18 points in the first quarter. With inflated spreads following their title run, the Los Angeles Lakers have yet to cover their sizable NBA betting lines in three games.

The Thunder look like a team on the rise in the West. However, Oklahoma City lost its first game of the season to another promising conference foe, the Portland Trail Blazers, this weekend. Oklahoma City's versatile forward Kevin Durant was a dismal 3-for-21 and scored just 16 points in the loss. That poor performance added to the Thunder's offensive struggles to open the year. Oklahoma City Thunder appears to be a solid under play for NBA totals betting; it’s allowing an average of just 85 points and has gone under the total in its last three games.