The Cleveland Cavaliers head to Golden State to take on the Warriors in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, pitting the third-ranked offense against the first-ranked defense. The game starts at 9:00 pm ET on Thursday, Jun. 4 and will air on ABC.
The Warriors beat the Rockets 104-90 the last time they played. Stephen Curry was the game’s high scorer with 26 points on 7-for-21 shooting. LeBron James shot 10-for-20 and led in scoring with 23 points.
This matchup figures to be a high-scoring affair as the Warriors rank second in the NBA in offensive efficiency (108.6), while the Cavaliers are third (108.1). Also, the Cavaliers’s third-ranked offense (offensive efficiency of 108.1) will face off against the first-ranked defense of the Warriors (defensive efficiency of 98.6).
Golden State is a six-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is 203 points. The Warriors enter the game with records of 67-15 Straight Up (SU) and 47-34-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 25-5 SU and 15-14-1 ATS against teams from the Eastern Conference. The Warriors have the top-ranked offense in terms of FG%, shooting .478 from the floor. Spreading the ball around is a huge part of Golden State’s offense. They lead the league in assists with an average of 27.4 per game. If its opponents turn the ball over, Golden State has shown that it knows how to capitalize. They average 19.5 points off turnovers, making them the top team in the league for that category.
On the other side, Cleveland has a SU record of 53-29 and an ATS record of 40-42. Cleveland managed to go 7-3 SU over the last 10 games, while only going 3-7 ATS during the same amount of time.
Golden State beat Cleveland in their most recent meeting this season, moving its SU record against the Cavaliers to 7-3 in their last 10 head-to-head meetings. Additionally, with a 7-3 record, the Warriors have the advantage ATS. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Golden State held the edge in all three of these categories twice in the last 10 meetings. Cleveland never did so in those games.
Predictions: SU Winner – GS, ATS Winner – GS, O/U – Over
Notes
Both Cleveland and Golden State rank zeroth in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. Cleveland scores 0.0 points per game, while Golden State gives up 0.0.
Cleveland and Golden State are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Cleveland puts up an average of 0.0 points on the road, while Golden State gives up 0.0 points at home on average.
When Golden State gives up fewer than 100 points, the team has a perfect 40-0 record. In games where it puts up fewer than 100 points, Cleveland has a poor 11-24 record.
The Warriors have a 27-15 record when they allow at least 100 points. The Cavaliers have also performed well when they reach the century mark with a record of 42-5 in such games.
The Cavaliers have a defensive rating of 103.4 (ranked 17th). The Warriors rank second for their offensive rating of 108.6.
On average, Golden State has 101.2 possessions per game and scores 1.086 points on each possession. Cleveland has both fewer possessions (95.4) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.081).
Golden State is among the top-ranked teams based on its average effective field goal percentage of 54.0% (ranked first in the NBA). Cleveland is a subpar 7-14 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, Golden State attempts 27.0 three pointers and Cleveland attempts 27.5 per game. Both teams have winning records when they have 25 or more three point attempts. The Warriors sit at 48-10 and the Cavaliers are 34-21.
The Golden State Warriors, with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.94, rank second in the NBA. The Cleveland Cavaliers have a lower A/TO (1.62), ranking 16th.
The Warriors rank sixth in rebounds per game with 44.7, while the Cavaliers rank 18th with 43.0 per game.
Golden State ranks among the best in the league in defensive rebounds at fourth, while Cleveland ranks a solid 11th in offensive rebounds.
Golden State ranks sixth in forced turnovers with an average rate of 15.3%. Cleveland has a 17-18 record when they suffer a turnover rate equal to or exceeding this.
