The Golden State Warriors clash against the Cleveland Cavaliers at ORACLE Arena in the first game of the NBA Finals. The game gets underway at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 31, 2018.
Golden State is a 13-point favorite on the opening line, while the game’s Over/Under (O/U) opened at 214 points.
Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors ATS Prediction
The last time the Cavaliers played, they topped the Boston Celtics, 87-79. One of Cleveland’s biggest strengths was getting to the charity stripe. They had 25 free throw attempts, while Boston had 19. Cleveland received a boost from LeBron James, who was the top scorer from either team with 35 points on 12-for-24 shooting.
The Warriors were victorious over the Houston Rockets in their last game, 101-92. Golden State was lights out from beyond the arc (16-39; 41.0 percent). Houston, on the other hand, had a better free throw rate (0.144 vs. 0.087). With 27 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds, Golden State’s Stephen Curry put together a good game.
The productive offense of Golden State (first in the NBA with an offensive efficiency of 112.4) will face off against the porous defense of Cleveland (27th in the NBA with a defensive efficiency of 109.6). The Warriors figure to have the edge on that end of the court.
Cleveland is 62-38 straight up (SU), but they struggle covering the spread (40-58-2 against the spread (ATS)). Cavaliers games have a slight tendency to finish under the total (51.0 percent).
Golden State is 70-29 SU, but they have a difficult time covering the spread (42-54-3 ATS). Much like Cleveland, Warriors games have a slight tendency to finish under the projected point total (52.5 percent).
In the First-Round Series, the Cavaliers were 13-8 ATS with 11 unders, nine overs and one push while the Warriors were 14-10 with 14 unders, nine overs and one push
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors Odds Pick
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Notes
Betting Notes:
Cleveland is 23-26-1 ATS on the road with 25 overs and 25 unders.
Golden State is 20-28-2 ATS at home with 26 unders, 23 overs and 1 push.
Golden State is 22-7 when they allow less than 100 points, while Cleveland is 22-6.
In games where they score above 100 points, the Cavaliers are 58-18 and the Warriors are 66-17.
Golden State averages 28.7 assists per game, which ranks first in the league. Cleveland ranks 27th in assists allowed per game (25.0).
The Warriors rank first in blocks per game (7.1) while the Cavaliers rank 26th (3.9).
Golden State ranks eighth in steals per game (8.0) while Cleveland ranks 26th (6.9).
The Warriors rank fifth in points off turnovers per game (17.5) while the Cavaliers rank 21st (15.7).
Cleveland ranks 11th in fast break points allowed per game (11.4) while Golden State ranks 25th (13.8).
The Warriors rank 15th in three pointers attempted per game (29.2) while the Cavaliers rank 28th in three pointers allowed per game (31.1).
Golden State ranks 12th in rebounds per game (44.0) while Cleveland ranks 25th (41.8).
The Cavaliers rank 15th in second chance points allowed per game (12.7) while the Warriors rank 25th (13.2).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Cleveland is 4-1 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs.
Golden State is 3-2 ATS with 5 unders over their last five games.
The Cavaliers’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 8.8, up from 1.0 for the season.
During their last five games, the Warriors have scored an average of 105.6 points per game (7.1 below their season average) and allowed an average of 91.2 points per game (15.1 below their season average).
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