The Golden State Warriors travel to Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers in Game of the NBA Finals, pitting the first-ranked offense against the top-ranked defense. Action gets underway at 9:00 pm ET on Thursday, Jun. 16 and will air on ABC and C+D.
The Cavaliers beat the Warriors 112-97 on Monday. LeBron James played a key role, recording his 39th double-double of the season with 41 points and 16 rebounds.
This showdown pits one of the league’s top offenses against one of its elite defenses, as Cleveland currently ranks third in the NBA in offensive efficiency and Golden State is first in defensive efficiency. Also, the Warriors’s first-ranked offense (offensive efficiency of 112.2) will face off against the second-ranked defense of the Cavaliers (defensive efficiency of 103.1).
The Cavaliers enter the game with records of 71-30 Straight Up (SU) and 48-51-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 71-30 SU and 48-51-2 ATS against teams from the Western Conference. If its opponents turn the ball over, Cleveland has shown that it knows how to capitalize. They average 16.6 points off turnovers, making them the third-best team in the league for that category.
On the other side, the Warriors have a record of 57-44-3 ATS and 88-16 SU. Against the Eastern Conference, Golden State is 88-16 SU and 57-44-3 ATS. When it comes to making good decisions with the ball, not many are better than the Warriors. They have one of the top assist-to-turnover ratios in the league at 1.92. A large part of Golden State’s game is creating turnovers and turning them into points. They are scoring 17.3 points per game off turnovers, which ranks first in the league.
The Cavaliers’ win over Golden State in their last game couldn’t give them the edge in the head-to-head record over the past 10 meetings, where the Warriors still lead 8-2 SU. The Warriors also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 7-3.
Predictions: SU Winner – GS
Notes
“Cleveland is 14-5 SU in its last 19 games “.
“Cleveland is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games at home”.
“Cleveland is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games at home”.
“Cleveland is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games when playing Golden State”.
“Cleveland is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games when playing Golden State”.
“Cleveland is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Golden State”.
“Cleveland is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Golden State”.
“Golden State is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Cleveland”.
Both Golden State and Cleveland rank zeroth in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. Golden State puts up 0.0 points per game, while Cleveland gives up 0.0.
Golden State and Cleveland are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Golden State puts up an average of 0.0 points on the road, while Cleveland gives up 0.0 points at home on average.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Warriors are 36-2 on the season. When the Cavaliers score fewer than 100, they are a losing 12-21.
The Warriors have a 52-14 record when they allow at least 100 points. The Cavaliers have also performed well when they register triple digits with a record of 59-9 in such contests.
The Warriors have the top-ranked offense this season, averaging 112.2 points per 100 possessions. The Cavaliers have one of the best defenses, allowing 103.1 points in the same number of possessions (ranked second).
The Cleveland Cavaliers have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking ninth in the league with a FG% of 46.2%. The Golden State Warriors have a solid 19-11 record in games where opponents have a similar or higher FG%.
On average, Cleveland attempts 29.0 three pointers and Golden State attempts 31.0 per game. Both teams have winning records when they have 25 or more three point attempts. The Cavaliers sit at 52-23 and the Warriors are 79-15.
Golden State, the fifth-ranked team in terms of blocking, makes an average of 6.0 blocks per game. Cleveland ranks lower at 27th with 3.9.
The Golden State Warriors are the NBA’s best defensive rebounding team. The Cleveland Cavaliers rank 12th in offensive rebounding.
The Golden State Warriors rank 10th in steals, with an average of 8.3 per game. When the Cleveland Cavaliers allow at least 8 steals, they have a winning 31-11 record.
