The Golden State Warriors can move to within one game of a second straight NBA championship Wednesday as they travel to Cleveland to battle the Cavaliers as slim 1-point betting favorites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Golden State took a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals with a crushing 110-77 win on Sunday, and now is unbeaten straight up in its past seven against Cleveland heading into Wednesday night’s Warriors vs. Cavaliers betting matchup at Quicken Loans Arena.
The defending NBA champions’stellar defense rewarded bettors in recent outings, with Golden State holding opponents to just 93.2 points per game during its current five-game SU and against-the-spread win streak, while forcing the point total UNDER in seven of its last nine games.
Despite averaging just 14.5 points over the first two games of the series, Stephen Curry is pegged as the +120 co-favorite on the odds to win the NBA Finals MVP. Curry is joined atop those odds by teammate Draymond Green, who scored a team-high 28 points in Game 2, ending a dismal 10-game stretch during which he averaged just over 10 points per game.
Following arguably their worst performances of the season in Games 1 and 2, the Cavaliers are pegged as home underdogs for the first time since earning a 117-103 win over the San Antonio Spurs as 1.5-point home underdogs on January 30.
The Cavaliers have enjoyed home cooking during this postseason, going a perfect 7-0 SU and 6-1 ATS, and are an impressive 21-4 SU and 15-10 ATS over their past 25 at home. However, it’s been a different story when the Warriors come to town.
Golden State took two of three in Cleveland during last year’s NBA Finals, holding the Cavaliers to just 91.7 points per game, and is 4-1 SU in its past five visits, 3-2 ATS, including a lopsided 132-98 win as 3.5-point road underdogs in mid-January.
However, the Warriors have faced some struggles on the road during these playoffs, going 3-4 SU and ATS in seven dates away from Oracle Arena while surrendering an average of 112.6 points per game.
With that glimmer of hope, the Cavaliers likely need LeBron James to have another big outing on home hardwood. James struggled in Golden State, averaging just 21 points in Games 1 and 2, but has averaged 24.3 points over his last four games at home while averaging less than 31 minutes of playing time in those contests.
Thumbnail photo via Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports Images
