It’s a tale of two streaks when the Cleveland Cavaliers head west for a high-profile showdown with the Golden State Warriors. The Cavs are on a mini-swoon, having lost all of their last three games. It’s a much different situation for the Warriors, who are on a five-game win streak. With both teams hungry for a victory, the stage is set for one epic clash.
This coming Sunday, Tony Romo and Aaron Rodgers take the field as the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers engage in a blockbuster NFC Divisional Round matchup. You can read our detailed preview of this game here.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors Betting Preview
Where: Oracle Arena, Oakland
When: Friday, January 9, 2015, 10:30PM ET
Line: Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors — view all NBA lines
Betting on the Cleveland Cavaliers
The struggle continues for the LeBron James-less Cavaliers. After losing to the cellar-dwelling Philadelphia 76ers, the Cavs suffered yet another setback—their third in a row—when they were defeated by the Houston Rockets 105-93 on Wednesday.
[sc:NBA240banner ]If there’s any positive takeaway in the loss, it has to be the obvious return to form of Kyrie Irving, who missed the Philadelphia game. Irving scored a game-high 38 points against Houston on 15-for-26 shooting.
With James (knee) still in sickbay, Irving and Kevin Love will mostly shoulder the brunt of Cleveland’s offense against Golden State. Love, who scored 17 against the Rockets, has averaged 25.5 PPG over the last five games. Other players, however, will have to step up, particularly new acquisition J.R. Smith.
Smith’s debut in Cavs uniform was anything but spectacular, as he came off the bench and went 0-for-5 from the field in 18 minutes of action.
Another new addition is former Denver Nuggets center Timofey Mozgov. Although he’ll need to adjust to his new team, Mozgov will nevertheless be a big boost for the Cavs, who are in clear need of a rim protector and a solid rebounder. The Cavs are among the worst rebounding teams in the league with only 41.1 RPG. They were absolutely crushed on the boards by the Rockets, who collared 50 rebounds as against Cleveland’s 37.
Mozgov averaged 8.5 PPG, 7.8 RPG, and 1.2 BPG in 35 games with the Nuggets this season.
The Cavs are 3-1 ATS in their last four road games.
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Betting on the Golden State Warriors
The Warriors have no time playing good hosts to visiting teams. Count the Indiana Pacers as the latest team to receive a bad treatment at the Oracle Arena when the Warriors dealt them a 117-102 loss. The victory extended Golden State’s win streak at home to 13 games. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and the rest of the Warriors can make it 14 in a row on Friday if they can handle the slumping Cavaliers.
Curry and Thompson paid little respect to Indiana’s defense, one that entered the contest ranked best in the NBA with only 96.1 points allowed per game. Curry scored 21 points (8-for-17 FG) and dished out 15 assists. Thompson, meanwhile, was even better scoring-wise, as he exploded for 40 points (14-for-25 FG).
The duo’s performance sends a loud message to Cleveland’s defense that has been problematic of late. The Warriors are averaging a league-best 109.2 PPG, while the Cavs’ defense has seen opponents put up 102.8 PPG over their last six games—sixth most in the league during that stretch.
The Warriors create a lot of havoc on offense in a number of ways, some of which the depleted lineup of Cleveland might find very difficult to contain. Golden State is fifth in the league in triples made per game (10.0), fourth in points in the paint (45.8), and first in fast break points (19.8).
The Warriors are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
The Warriors win, 108-102.
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