LeBron James will return to Cleveland for the first time as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers (9-7) on Wednesday when they visit Quicken Loans Arena to face the Cavaliers (2-13) as large road favorites at sportsbooks.

The Lakers have gone 4-4 both straight up and against the spread on the road this year, winning two of their last three.

NBA point spread: The Lakers opened as nine-point favorites; the total is at 221, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)

NBA betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 112.0-100.8, Lakers (NBA picks on every game)

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Why the Lakers can cover the spread

This will obviously be another emotional night for James as he heads home as a visitor again, but his teammates will feed off him and provide more offensive support than they did in a 113-97 road win over the Miami Heat on Sunday.

In that game, James also visited another former team in the Heat and lit them up for 51 points on 19-of-31 shooting from the field.

Kyle Kuzma (15 points) and Brandon Ingram (13) were the only other starters to score in double figures, but bettors should expect that to change versus the Cavaliers, who have lost seven of eight and are giving up 111.9 points per game.

Why the Cavaliers can cover the spread

While Cleveland's defense has been bad, Los Angeles' has been even worse. The Lakers are surrendering 115.4 points per game, which ranks fifth-worst in the league.

The Cavaliers also have a couple former Los Angeles players on their roster in Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson, who will be extra motivated to play against their old team.

Nance and Clarkson were dealt to Cleveland from Los Angeles last season in hopes of helping James reach the NBA Finals for an eighth consecutive year.

The Cavaliers beat the Charlotte Hornets 113-89 in their last home game as nine-point underdogs.

Smart betting pick

The Lakers have gone just 1-4 ATS in their last five games as favorites of nine points or more, according to the OddsShark NBA Database. One of those took place this season when Los Angeles edged the Atlanta Hawks 107-106 as 11.5-point home favorites on November 11.

James will be primed to win at Cleveland again, but this one will be closer than expected as the Cavaliers stay within striking distance to cover the spread.

NBA betting trends

The total has gone under in seven of Los Angeles' last nine games.

The total has gone under in seven of Cleveland's last eight games.

Los Angeles is 1-7 SU in its last eight games when playing Cleveland.

All NBA odds and betting trends according to Bleacher Report's official odds partner, OddsShark. Check out OddsShark on Twitter and Instagram or head to YouTube for more betting picks and analysis on this week's top games. You can also download the free odds tracker app.