There were a few scary days there for the Golden State Warriors (81-20 SU, 56-44-1 ATS). They were down 2-1 in the NBA Finals and looked like they were getting totally outplayed, but now, they have a Game 4 romp under their belts and will look to win again in Game 5 against the Cleveland Cavaliers (67-33 SU, 49-51 ATS).
ODDS ANALYSIS
Can you say, "Overreaction?"
Bettors love to overreact to what they just saw, and of course, the last taste in anyone's mouth of the NBA Finals was watching the Dubs run roughshod over Cleveland on both sides of the court in the fourth quarter of Game 4. That said, Golden State has opened up at -9, the biggest spread any game has seen yet in the Finals to date.
INJURY REPORT
Cleveland got a brutal scare on Thursday when LeBron James had his head cut open falling into a camera after a foul. James was fine, but he clearly looks gassed and needs the day off.
Remember too, that Matthew Dellavedova spent Wednesday night in a Cleveland hospital from fatigue, while Iman Shumpert has developed a shoulder problem. Both men played in Game 4, though the two combined to shoot just 5-of-23 from the floor with a total of 15 points.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"It's hard to keep up with us, and we're going to try to keep it going." – Warriors guard Andre Iguodala on how Golden State pulled off a Game 4 victory in Cleveland
BETTING TRENDS
- The Cavaliers are 7-2 ATS in their last nine games following an ATS defeat.
- The Warriors are just 4-9 ATS in their last 13 home games, including going 0-2 ATS in this series.
- The UNDER is 5-1 in Cleveland's last six road games played here in the postseason
KEY STATS
7: The number of field goals which anyone aside from LeBron James and Timofey Mozgov hit for the Cavaliers in Game 4. In fact, not only did the rest of the club score just 22 total points and hit seven field goals, but that group shot 7-of-40 from the field as well. That clearly won't get it done in trying to match an offense the caliber of Golden State’s.
16: The number of total minutes which Golden State deployed a man taller than 6-foot-9 on the court in Game 4 of the NBA Finals. Steve Kerr's small lineup with Draymond Green playing at the five and Harrison Barnes at the four has really paid dividends, and that was the grouping on the court more often than not on Thursday night causing fits for the Cavs.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
The Cavaliers should really be helped by this off day, and they should keep this one close. We're not all that sure that they’re really capable of winning a second game in Oakland, which of course, would spell the end of this series at some point or another.
That said, with that day off, Shumpert and Dellavedova should get over their nagging injuries, while James should get a bit of a second wind.
We haven't seen the best out of Stephen Curry in this series, and the Cavs have done a great job against him defensively as well. If all of that keeps up, we expect to see a game which mimics what we saw in the first three games of the NBA Finals.
Golden State 98, Cleveland 93
The NBA betting lines for this Sunday contest were released first by BookMaker. Golden State kicked off at -9 with a total of 195. Now you can wager in-game while the action unfolds with BookMaker's live betting option.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The matchup between Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors will go down Sunday, June 14, 2015 at 8:00 p.m. ET at Oracle Arena in Oakland, CA. The game will be televised nationally on ABC.
