Betdistrict.com
The Golden State Warriors will host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Christmas day in a rematch of last year`s finals, and in arguably the most anticipated clash of the regular season in the NBA.
Golden State (26-7, 12-4 home) had to play without Steph Curry in the last 8 games, and the team was also without some other important players like Draymond Green in a few games during that stretch. The Warriors won their first 7 games without Steph based on some excellent performances by Kevin Durant, but lost their last one, an ugly home loss against Denver on Saturday.
The Cavs (24-9, 10-5 away) have been arguably the best team in the NBA lately, as they managed to win 19 of their last 21 games after a slow start. LeBron James took it upon himself to make this Cavs team great in the regular season, as opposed to him forcing the issue only in the playoffs, like in the last few years. Cleveland is coming after a win against Chicago on Thursday, so they will have rest and confidence coming into this clash.
Bet on Warriors vs Cavaliers and claim your 100% (100 Eur) bonus at Ohmbet now!Team news: Golden State will continue to miss Steph Curry, while Green, Livingston, Pachulia and Looney are listed as probable – all of them are expected to be ready for the game, particularly Green, who is basically 99% expected to play. The Cavs will continue to be without Thomas, Shumpert and Rose, long term injuries.
This will be a huge challenge for Golden State to play against Cleveland without Steph Curry. While the Warriors did win 7 of the 8 games in which Curry did not play, six of those were against teams with a losing record (at the time GS played them). Against teams with a winning record, they barely edged Detroit, and lost against Denver.
Also, Golden State is just 3-5 ATS (against the spread) in the 8 games without Steph, which shows the fact that his absence was underrated by the bookies – and that Golden State did not meet expectations without Steph, despite the 7 wins in 8 games.
I can see the Warriors struggling here without Curry, who is the engine of the team and is definitely the most important piece in the Warriors mechanism. He is the key to everything Golden State does, and his sole presence on the floor allows them to run their system, and allows other players to thrive. Durant himself is shooting around 45% from the field since Steph went out, as opposed to almost 55% when Steph is on the floor.
Without Curry and against a great, in form Cleveland team, I reckon the Warriors could very well lose this. They might do without Curry against below average teams, but facing a Cavs team which is playing very good basketball will be a completely different scenario.
Look for the Cavs to come in with a lot of energy and intensity after losing last year’s final against the Warriors. They also had a very poor showing at this ground last year in the regular season, with Lebron James slamming his teammates afterwards – so it is highly expected that the Cavs will be 100% ready and pumped up for this big Chrismas day clash. Expect Durant to be double teamed during the game, and that will take away most of Golden State’s offensive productivity.
Bottom line, I don`t think the Warriors are good enough to beat Cleveland without Steph Curry, particularly with Cleveland being in such good form. I wouldn`t consider the Warriors to be the favorites in this Christmas day matchup. The point spread is set at -5 points in favor of Golden State, and I think that is totally unrealistic. Unless Durant and / or Klay Thompson go bananas, making multiple impossible shots in a row, the Cavs should edge this.
My tip here will be the Cavs to cover the +5 (asian) handicap and I will invest maximum stakes on this bet. Prediction: Golden State Warriors – Cleveland Cavaliers 105 – 115.
Pick: Cavs +5
Odds: 1.93 @ Pinnacle
Stake: 10
Possible profit: 9.30
Event date: 25 December
