The Cleveland Cavaliers travel to Golden State to take on the Warriors in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, pitting the third-ranked offense against the first-ranked defense. The game gets underway at 8:00 pm ET on Sunday, Jun. 14 and will air on ABC.
The Warriors lost to the Cavaliers 96-91 in their last game. Stephen Curry finished with 27 points to lead the team. LeBron James played well and claimed his 22nd double-double of the season, posting 40 points and 12 rebounds.
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).
The odds are even for this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable at the moment. The Warriors enter the game with records of 67-15 Straight Up (SU) and 47-34-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 25-5 SU and 15-14-1 ATS versus the Eastern Conference. The Warriors are an impressive shooting team with an NBA-best .478 field-goal percentage. Golden State has the most assists in the NBA, averaging 27.4 per game. Something to watch out for is if Golden State can force its opponents into turnovers and convert them into baskets. They’ve done an excellent job of that all year with an average of 19.5 points off turnovers per game to lead the league.
On the other side, Cleveland has a SU record of 53-29 and an ATS record of 40-42. While Cleveland has gone 3-7 ATS over its past 10 matchups, they’ve excelled SU with a record of 7-3.
Cleveland won the last meeting this season between these two teams, but the Warriors still lead the head-to-head record, 6-4 SU, over the last 10 matchups. The teams have an even record ATS, 5-5. Golden State topped the Cavaliers in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) twice over the last 10. Cleveland has never had the edge in all categories.
Predictions: SU Winner – GS, ATS Winner – GS
Notes
Cleveland’s offense and Golden State’s defense are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. Cleveland puts up an average of 0.0 points per game, while Golden State gives up 0.0 points per game.
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 allows 0.0 points at home on average.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have a tremendous 39-7 record when their opponents score fewer than 100 points this season. The Golden State Warriors are 8-6 when they score less than 100.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have an underachieving 14-22 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Golden State Warriors are 59-9 when they hit the century mark.
The Warriors have the best defense in the NBA, with a defensive rating of 98.6. The Cavaliers’s offense ranks a solid third, with an offensive rating of 108.1.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking eighth in the league with a FG% of 45.8%. The Golden State Warriors have a winning 14-9 record in games where opponents have a similar or higher FG%.
The Cleveland Cavaliers rank lower for their field goal percentage (eighth) than their effective field goal percentage (fourth), while the Golden State Warriors rank the same for both metrics (first).
Among all teams, Golden State is best in the league in assists, registering an average of 27.4 per game. Cleveland ranks slightly lower in total assists, at 10th (22.1 per game).
Golden State makes an average of 6.0 blocks per game (ranked second), while Cleveland makes 4.1 blocks per game (ranked 25th).
Golden State is ranked 23rd when it comes to offensive rebounding. Cleveland ranks 21st in defensive rebounds.
The Golden State Warriors earn an average of 9.3 steals per game and are ranked fourth. The Cleveland Cavaliers have a 16-17 record when they allow at least 9 steals.
