Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors gave the raucous crowd at Oracle Arena plenty to be excited about with a 104-91 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Dubs are now just one win away from their first NBA championship since 1975. Can Curry and the hot shooting Dubs find their strokes on the road? Or will LeBron James will the Cavaliers to win? Read on for a breakdown of this action-packed Game 6.
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[sc:NBAArticles ]Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Game 6 Preview
Series Scores and Schedule
Game 1 – June 4 – Cleveland Cavaliers 100 at Golden State Warriors 108 (OT)
Game 2 – June 7 – Cleveland Cavaliers 95 at Golden State Warriors 93 (OT)
Game 3 – June 9 – Golden State Warriors 91 at Cleveland Cavaliers 96
Game 4 – June 11 – Golden State Warriors 103 at Cleveland Cavaliers 82
Game 5 – June 14 – Cleveland Cavaliers 91 at Golden State Warriors 104
Game 6 – June 16, 9:00 PM ET – Golden State Warriors (-4.5) at Cleveland Cavaliers (+4.5); total 195.0 – view all NBA lines
Game 7* – June 19, 9:00 PM ET – Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors
*If necessary
Betting on the Golden State Warriors
The reigning MVP exploded for 17 points in the fourth quarter of Game 5, nailing 5-of-7 field goals (3-of-5 from three-point range). Stephen Curry’s performance in the fourth quarter tied for the most points in a Finals game in the past 40 years.
[sc:NBA240banner ]It’s going to be difficult to stop the Golden State Warriors if their MVP is consistently putting up big numbers. Curry is averaging 26 points and four and a half threes per game in the Finals. Make no mistake: the Dubs aren’t just all about Curry. He has plenty of support in the Dubs’ loaded roster.
Klay Thompson is scoring 18 points per game in the Finals, but has struggled with his three-point shot recently. Thompson has made just 2-of-9 from downtown in the last two games heading into Game 6. Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala provided some support, combining for 30 points in Game 5. Leandro Barbosa was also excellent off the bench, chipping in 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting.
But off the Dubs’ supporting cast, Iguodala seems to be a liability at times with his paltry free-throw shooting. He made just 2-of-11 from the charity stripe in Game 5, which may prompt Cleveland to use the “Hack-A-Shaq” strategy on Iguodala in Game 6 to take away some of Golden State’s momentum.
The total has gone under in three of the five games of the Finals.
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Betting on the Cleveland Cavaliers
LeBron James continued to showcase why he may be the best player in the world. He put on another otherworldly performance in Game 5, finishing with 40 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. He became just the second player in NBA Finals history to score 40 points in a triple-double. James was responsible for 70 of the Cavaliers’ 91 points in Game 5 through his scoring and assists (30 points).
Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith were the primary benefactors of those assists. They combined for 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting when combing off passes from James. But when James didn’t create their shots, the duo combined for just one point on 0-of-11 shooting. With James handling the ball, it’ll be crucial for Shumpert and Smith to have excellent off-ball movement for a chance to attempt wide-open shots.
James may be able to count on Timofey Mozgov, who scored 28 points in a 103-82 home loss in Game 4. But the hulking Russian may not receive plenty of playing time if the Dubs once again go small. Tristan Thompson should be Cleveland’s man inside after scoring a personal best 19 points of this series in Game 5. Thompson has also been a force on the boards all series long, averaging 13 rebounds per game.
If Cleveland is to even this series, it’ll need much more from Matthew Dellavedova. The Aussie guard surprised many with a gutsy 20-point performance in Game 3, a 96-91 Cleveland victory. But he has struggled since then, scoring just 15 points on 22 percent shooting in Games 4 and 5. Expect more from the scrappy guard in this do-or-die Game 6. Dellavedova has averaged 15.7 points in three home games started this postseason.
Cleveland is 3-5 ATS in its last eight home games.
Writer’s Prediction
James finally gets the support he needs as the Cavs keep their season alive. Take Cleveland to cover +4.5.
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