The Cleveland Cavaliers travel to Golden State to take on the Warriors in Game 2 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. 7 and will air on ABC.
The Warriors were victorious over the Rockets 104-90 the last time they played. Stephen Curry led all scorers with 26 points on 7-for-21 shooting. LeBron James led the game in scoring with 23 points on 10-for-20 shooting.
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 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 incredibly accurate shooting team with an NBA-best .478 field-goal percentage. 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. 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.
Across the court, 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.
Golden State won the last meeting this season between these two teams, 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. Golden State held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers twice in the last 10, while Cleveland wasn’t able to do so in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – GS, ATS Winner – GS
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 allows 0.0.
Cleveland and Golden State are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Cleveland scores an average of 0.0 points on the road, while Golden State allows 0.0 points at home on average.
Golden State has a perfect 40-0 record when opponents score fewer than 100 points. The Cavaliers do not fare well when they score under 100, earning an 11-24 record in such games.
When the Warriors give up 100 or more points, they are 27-15. When the Cavaliers hit triple digits, they also have a winning record (42-5).
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 Golden State Warriors rebound 44.7 times per game and are ranked sixth. Ranked 18th, the Cleveland Cavaliers rebound 43.0 times per game.
The Cleveland Cavaliers rank in the top half of the league in offensive rebounds (ranked 11th). The Golden State Warriors rank near the very top of the league in defensive rebounding (ranked fourth).
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.
