The Cleveland Cavaliers have taken control of the NBA Finals with a 96-91 win over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday. The Cavs now lead the series 2-1 behind another monstrous effort by LeBron James, who finished Game 3 with another 40-point effort to go along with 12 boards and eight assists.
As for the Warriors, Stephen Curry finally got hot during the second half of Game 3. The reigning MVP finished with 27 points on 7-of-13 shooting from beyond the arc. But Curry’s regained shooting stroke was too little too late, as the Warriors tried to battle back from a 20-point deficit in the third quarter.
Game 4 will likely bring another closely contested battle, and the experts have weighed in on what we should expect on Thursday, which you can read below. There’s also some exciting Stanley Cup action going on in the NHL, as the Tampa Bay Lightning lead the Stanley Cup Finals series 2-1 over the Chicago Blackhawks. Check out our preview for Game 4 here.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Experts Predictions for Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Game 4
Series Scores and Schedule
Game 1 – June 4, 9:00 PM ET – Cleveland Cavaliers 100 at Golden State Warriors 108 (OT)
Game 2 – June 7, 9:00 PM ET – Cleveland Cavaliers 95 at Golden State Warriors 93 (OT)
Game 3 – June 9, 9:00 PM ET – Golden State Warriors 91 at Cleveland Cavaliers 96
Game 4 – June 11, 9:00 PM ET – Golden State Warriors (-2.5) at Cleveland Cavaliers (+2.5); total: 193.0 – view all NBA lines
Game 5* – June 14, 9:00 PM ET – Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors
Game 6*– June 16, 9:00 PM ET – Golden State Warriors at Cleveland Cavaliers
Game 7* – June 19, 9:00 PM ET – Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors
*If necessary
Rant Sports
| Expert | Prediction |
|---|---|
| Seth Lassen | Golden State wins |
Seth Lassen of Rant Sports thinks that the Warriors will still get to even the series at two games apiece. In order for that to happen though, Golden State’s Draymond Green has to get involved in the offense.
[sc:NBA240banner ]Lassen believes that Green will hit at least two three-pointers in Game 4, but the “heart and soul” of the Warriors isn’t playing very inspired basketball in this series against Cleveland. Green’s lone three-pointer in the Finals just came in the first half of Game 3, and he is only averaging 6.3 points on 8-for-30 shooting from the field in the series.
The Rant Sports columnist also sees LeBron taking less than 30 shots in Game 4. James is averaging 35.6 shots per game in the Finals, and Lassen believes that Golden State will start to double-team LeBron as Cleveland’s formula of sticking with isolation plays for LeBron is working well.
The King has two 40-point games in the series against the Warriors, with the one other game being his 39-point effort in Game 2. He only had two 40-point outings the entire regular season and none in the postseason before the Finals.
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Sports Chat Place
| Expert | Prediction |
|---|---|
| Randy Chambers | Cleveland wins |
Randy Chambers from Sports Chat Place loves free money, and he’s rolling the dice with the Cavs to once again take Game 4 at home. Chambers believes the Cavs are on a mission to take the title, and that the Warriors might not have what it takes to turn things around.
It’s certainly hard to argue with that assessment of the Cavs, especially after seeing Matthew Dellavedova play in Game 3. The Aussie sacrificed life and limb and gave it everything he had to help the Cavs deliver the crucial win.
Delly fed off the energy from the raucous home crowd, and vice versa. The Cavs have had an incredible homecourt advantage this season. With their Game 3 win, they’ve now won 27 of 29 home games dating back to the regular season. And if Chambers is to be believed, it’ll become 28 of 30 after Game 4.
Top Bet
| Expert | Prediction |
|---|---|
| Top Bet | Cleveland wins |
We here at Top Bet predict that Cleveland will prevail in Game 4 by a close margin to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. Apart from stating the obvious in James, Cleveland’s success in Game 3 was mainly due to another outstanding performance from Dellavedova.
Dellavedova has been a godsend for the Cavs after their original starting point guard Kyrie Irving went down in Game 1 of the Finals. The wily Aussie had 20 points, five boards and four dimes in Game 3. He was also his usual scrappy self – fighting for loose balls, hounding Stephen Curry on D, and even going up for a jump ball after another hustled play on the ball. It would be wise to keep a tab on Dellavedova’s status heading into Game 4, as he was hospitalized for severe cramps after Tuesday’s game.
As for Golden State, they have to fix their rebounding issues, and fast. The Cavaliers are out-rebounding the Warriors by an average of over eight boards per game, and they were overpowered on the offensive glass 18-9 in Game 3. Containing Cleveland’s Tristan Thompson (5.7 offensive rebounds per game in the Finals) on the boards should be a priority for Golden State.
Harrison Barnes also needs to bounce back from his scoreless 0-for-8 night in Game 3. He had 11 points in each of the first two games of the Finals, and is a capable defender for Golden State, especially since he’s task to guard LeBron James.
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