Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors Preview
Where: ORACLE Arena – Oakland, CA
When: Monday, January 16, 2017, 9:00 PM ET
Line: Cleveland Cavaliers (+7.5) at Golden State Warriors (-7.5); total: 224.5 – view all NBA lines
Writer’s Pick: Cleveland Cavaliers (+7.5)
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Betting on the Cleveland Cavaliers (29-10)
The previously struggling Cavaliers were able to finally snap their two-game losing skid last time out as they beat the Sacramento Kings, 120-108. The Cavs’ Big 3 of LeBron James, Kevin Love, and Kyrie Irving, all had big games. Love (15 points, 18 rebounds) and James (16 points, 15 assists) both had double-doubles, while Irving had a team-high 26 points.
Meanwhile, newly-acquired Kyle Korver finally jumpstarted his Cavs career with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting (4-of-6 from beyond the arc). Korver had a total of just four points on 2-of-10 shooting in his first two games against the Jazz and Blazers.
Korver will add another dimension to a Cavs offense which missed the shooting of J.R. Smith in their first meeting against the Warriors this season. DeAndre Liggins, Richard Jefferson, and Iman Shumpert went just 3-of-21 (1-of-10 from beyond the arc) in the Christmas game.
For anyone who forgot how that game played out, the Cavs came back from a big deficit, out-executed the Warriors in crunch time, and Irving nailed the game-winning basket to give the Cavs a 109-108 win. Cleveland has now won four straight games against Golden State dating back to last season’s NBA Finals. The Cavs did in that series what no team has done in ages: beat the Warriors in two straight games at Oracle.
James and Irving were largely responsible for those wins, and will look to continue having their way against a usually solid Warriors defense. James is averaging 35 points, 12 rebounds, 8.3 assists, and is 12-of-27 from beyond the arc in his last four games against the Dubs, while Irving is averaging nearly 30 points in his last six against Golden State.
Betting on the Golden State Warriors (34-6)
The Golden State Warriors have put that epic collapse against the Memphis Grizzlies a couple weeks ago further and further behind them. Since that loss, the Warriors have won their last three games against the Kings (117-106), Heat (107-95) and Pistons (127-107).
Klay Thompson was dealing with an illness in their loss to the Grizzlies, and was rested against the Heat. That time off sure looked like it paid off. He went for 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting on his return in their win against the Pistons.
Meanwhile, Splash Brother Stephen Curry has looked more and more like a two-time MVP since the start of 2017. In six games, Curry is averaging 29.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 4.2 3-pointers made. Curry was mostly anonymous on Christmas against the Cavs, finishing with just 15 points on 4-of-11 shooting. But a more aggressive Curry this time around will do wonders for an already great Warriors offense that’s No. 2 in efficiency this season.
Kevin Durant has been a huge reason for that great efficiency. KD dominated the Cavs to the tune of 36 points and 15 rebounds in the first meeting. He’s been rock solid since the New Year, averaging 26.5 points on 53 percent shooting through six games this month. Durant is just a matchup nightmare for the Cavs big men, and should be able to put up some big numbers once again.
Writer’s Prediction
The Warriors finally get one over on the Cavs and get the home win. But Cleveland keeps it close and covers the +7.5 spread.
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