Golden State Warriors will hope to forget their last season final appearance, as they let a 3-1 lead go to waste with Cavaliers winning all of the last 3 games. This match will be a great opportunity to exact their revenge. At the moment, GSW are sitting at 1st position in the West, with a record of 27-4. The only teams that were able to stand up to Warriors were; Grizzlies (110:89), Rockets (127:132) after OT, Lakers (117:97) and Spurs (100:129). As for their current form, Warriors have not lost in the past 7 games played. Their recent matchup against Detroit Pistons (113:119), was surprisingly much closer as I expected. The reason is, that Pistons were not in a great form going into that matchup. Detroit was on a 4 game losing streak, but were still able to put up a great fight over last season finalists. The first half ended with a home side lead (59:57), but Warriors soon closed the margin in the next quarter (84:88). The last quarter was once again in Warriors favour (29:31), which secured the win for the visiting side. Top scorers of the match were; Durant (32pts), Harris (26pts) and Caldwell-Pope (25pts). Warriors shot 55.8% from the field, committed 23 turnovers and accumulated 9 steals. Pistons on the other hand shot 50.6% from the field with 14 turnovers and 12 steals.
Cleveland Cavaliers, last season champions await a well known opponents, Golden State Warriors at Quicken Loans Arena. As for this season, Cavaliers are in a great position, currently at 1st spot in the East with a solid record of 22-6. The record would be much better if there had not been a 3 game losing streak in the start of December, where Cavaliers lost to Bucks (118:101), Clippers (94:113) and Bulls (111:105). The match against Nets on Saturday ended in 4th consecutive win for Cavaliers (119:99). Cavaliers were leading by 14 points by the end of 1st quarter and have not let go of that lead till the end. The match was not close, as you could expect from a match when 1st placed team in the East faces off against last positioned team. Top scorers of the match were: James (19pts), Lopez (16pts) and Thompson (16pts). Cavaliers shot 45.5% from the field, committed 11 turnovers and stole the ball 12 times, Nets shot 44.7% from the field, committed 19 turnovers and ended the match with 9 steals.
Verdict & Prediction
As mentioned before, this will be a match worth watching, as two rivals go against each other. Cavaliers will hope to repeat their recent success against GSW, on the other hand Warriors will seek revenge for last year’s finals loss. Cavalier are 15-2 at home, with 6 consecutive victories at Quicken Loans Arena, on the other side Warriors are 15-2 in away matches with 4 consecutive away victories going into this match. Cleveland are happy to welcome back Love into the squad after he missed a few games due to injury, on the other hand Smith will not be able to help his team (surgery). As for Golden State Warriors there are no changes in the squad. This should be a close and interesting match, so giving an advantage of 3 points to home team just might be enough for a winning bet.
Prediction: Cleveland Cavaliers +3
Odds: 1.95 Pinnalce
Also, check out Player Performances bets for tonight here.
