Vegas Play of the Day: Cleveland at Denver

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Wednesday, March 22, 2017 | 1:35 p.m.

We’re entering the third season of the annual South Point-lined Play of the Day competition, effective July 1.

Starting bankrolls have reset to $10,000, with the maximum bet being to win $1,000 and the minimum wager $300. Ray Brewer won the 2015-2016 season, after Taylor Bern prevailed in 2014-2015. Bern stepped away in the middle of the 2016-2017 season with a 16-12 record and $13,317 bankroll, with Mike Grimala taking his place.

Cleveland Cavs minus-2.5 at Denver, $550 to win $500 : Kevin Love is expected to play more than 20 minutes tonight for Cleveland in his third game back from injury. The Cavs, whose players (LeBron James, most notably) have been vocal about the frequency of consecutive-night games, should be well-rested having not played since Sunday.

Simply having James — still the NBA’s best player — on the floor at the same time as Love and Kyrie Irving will put Cleveland at an edge. With Danilo Gallinari ruled out for Denver because of a knee injury, the Nuggets won’t have the players to keep up.

It should be a near-capacity crowd to watch James and Co, meaning Cleveland will have to overcome a hostile crowd. If they do, it should be an easy cover.

Current Standings: Grimala (5-9, $8,450), Keefer (39-34-2, $8,381), Granger (13-15-1, $7,590), Brewer (26-26-1, $7,385)

Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21