The old rivals meet again. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors have been the class of the NBA for the past three seasons, as they are the only teams to win a title in that stretch. They are looking like two of the best teams in the NBA once again as they prepare for a huge Christmas Day clash in Oakland.
The Warriors are on a long winning streak despite the absence of Stephen Curry, as the trio of Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green has picked up the slack. Golden State has the second-best record in the NBA and is hot on the heels of the Rockets.
The Cavs started slowly after the offseason trade of Kyrie Irving but seemed to be rounding into form. They still haven’t gotten Isaiah Thomas on the court but the presence of LeBron James will always give Cleveland a chance in any game it plays.
While neither team is full strength this should be another fun game to watch against two elite teams.
At 3 p.m. ET, tune into ABC for live television coverage of this NBA basketball game on Monday, December 25, 2017, at Oracle Arena.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Monday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Cavaliers are 23-9 straight up but an ugly 11-20-1 against the spread since they came into the season with such high expectations. Cleveland has been solid on the road, covering in nine of 15 chances. The Cavs have only been the underdog five times this season and have covered every time,
The Warriors are 25-6 straight up and 15-16 against the spread. Golden State has been favored in every game this year and that won’t change against Cleveland. The Warriors have covered in half of their 14 home games.
Injury Report
Curry — The Warriors will be without one their best players yet again in this one. Curry remains out with a right ankle injury he suffered on December 4th, the same ankle he had surgery on back in 2011.
Without Curry, the Warriors have had little problem picking up wins, in fact they remain undefeated since he went down ahead of this weekend’s games against the Lakers and the Grizzlies. Still, anytime a team is facing James, it’s helpful to have all your stars healthy.
Curry is expected to be re-evaluated next week, but a return date remains unknown at this point. The team said that he is healing well, but remains cautious not to bring him back to soon, especially with the prior injury to the ankle.
Key Stat
3.8. That’s the positive point-differential for the Cavs this season, which doesn’t equate to a record the team has put together so far. Cleveland is outperforming the metrics, which could be a concern going forward until Thomas enters the fold.
This team still has a lot of talent, and James can change things in a hurry every time out, but Cleveland does not seem to be at the same level as Golden State or Houston.
There is plenty of time to get better, but right now the overall record is a bit misleading as the Cavs have captured a lot of close games when teams tend to split them when they go down to the wire.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The Warriors have shown they can be dominant without Curry, and the home court advantage here is another big key. Golden State needs a big effort out of Durant but there is no doubt they will get that.
LeBron should have a monster performance, but right now the supporting cast isn’t strong enough. The Warriors are much more efficient on the offensive side of the ball and should be able to take care of business at home against Cleveland.
NBA Odds: Warriors 116, Cavaliers 111
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