The Golden State Warriors travel to Cleveland to face the Cavaliers at the Quicken Loan Arena on Wednesday night in a rematch of th3 2018 NBA Finals, for whatever that statement is worth.
The Warriors and the Cavaliers have faced each other in the last four installments of the NBA Finals with Golden State winning three times and Cleveland just once. But a lot has happened since they met at the 2018 NBA Finals, the most notable of which is the departure of LeBron James from Cleveland to Los Angeles.
After losing to the Detroit Pistons in Steph Curry’s much awaited return, the Warriors bounced back with a coast to coast win over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday with Curry looking good as ever. Now the Dubs hope to pick up where they left off as they take on a very familiar foe in the Cleveland Cavaliers whom they have faced in the NBA Finals in the last four seasons.
The Warriors’ offense ranks 5th in the NBA in team scoring at 116.4 points per game and the Dubs are the best passing team in the league at 27.8 assists per game. On defense, the Warriors though have not been sharp this season, ranking just 19th in scoring defense at 111.5 points per game allowed. They are also just 14th in rebounding with an average of 45.4 rebounds per game .
Golden State Warriors vs Cleveland Cavaliers 12/5/18
Moneyline Odds: Warriors -750, Cavs +550
Odds from gtbets.eu as of 12/5/18
The Cleveland Cavaliers are looking to win back to back games for the first time this season but they face a huge task ahead against the defending champions Golden State Warriors who have just gotten Steph Curry back from injury. The Cavs are just 3-7 in their last 10 games and are just 3-8 at home this season.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are in the bottom of the league in team scoring at 102.4 points per game, They are also dead last in assists at 19.1 dimes per contest. Defensively, the Cavs are 14th in scoring defense at 110.4 points per game allowed and 19th in rebounding at 44.0 rebounds per game.
These two teams have played each other a total of 111 times during the regular season with the Warriors holding a slight edge in their all-time head to head meetings at 59 to 52. The Dubs have won five out of their last six regular season meetings including the last three. Golden State has also won four out of the last six regular season meetings in Cleveland.
Stephen Curry is back for the Warriors and the Dubs’ Big Three is coming off a combined 85 point effort against the Hawks on Monday. The Warriors will be without Draymond Green in this game but with their Big Three clicking, the Warriors’ juggernaut offense is going to mask whatever defensive shortcomings they have without Green.
Cleveland had just snapped a four game losing streak with a big win in Brooklyn but they have their jobs cut for them in this game. The Warriors are without Draymond Green but we know that the Dubs can survive without Green or without Durant for as long as the have Curry back.
Golden State’s offensive machine is too much for this Cavs team to handle. The 2018 NBA Finals rematch should be a mismatch.
We’re picking the Golden State Warriors to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers on 12/5/18.
The Warriors are 3-9 ATS in their last 12 games played and 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games on the road. The Cavaliers are 12-11 ATS on the season and are 5-6 ATS in their 11 home games played so far. Head to head, the Warriors are 5-1-1 in their last seven meetings against Cleveland and are 4-1 ATS on the road at the Quicken Loans Arena.
Golden State Warriors vs Cleveland Cavaliers 12/5/18
Spread Odds: Warriors -11 (-109), Cavs +11 (-109)
Odds from gtbets.eu as of 12/5/18
The Warriors have beaten the Cavs in their last three meetings with an average winning margin of 16.67 points per game and remember that these games happened in the LeBron James era. Without LeBron and without Kevin Love, this is going to be a mountain too high to climb for the Cavs.
Prediction: Warriors -11
Golden State Warriors vs Cleveland Cavaliers 12/5/18
Over/Under Odds: Over 223.5 -109, Under 223.5 -109
Odds from sportsbetting.ag as of 12/5/18
These teams have combined to score 226.3 points per game in their last 10 meetings. The Cavs have the worst offense in the NBA but the Dubs have the 5th most prolific offensive machine in the NBA. Defensively, these teams are outside the Top 10 in team scoring defense. The Cavs have been held to under 100 points in their last 5 games but remember the Dubs and the lowly Hawks combined for 239 points on Monday. Golden State’s offense is humming.
Prediction: Over 223.5
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