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The rivalry gets renewed once again. The two superpowers in the NBA will meet up again early next week when the Cleveland Cavaliers host the Golden State Warriors in a regular season affair. The game is more important to Cleveland as it is jockeying for positioning in the Eastern Conference.
Golden State has zoomed out to the best record in the NBA and does not figure to be challenged for that. It remains to be seen if Stephen Curry will be available for this game, and if he cannot play that will have a big effect on the spread.
The Warriors have yet to be the underdog this season, but if they don’t have Curry, would the oddsmakers think about labeling Cleveland the favorite in this one? That is one subplot to watch in this matchup.
At 8 p.m. ET, tune into TNT for live television coverage of this NBA basketball game on Monday, January 15, 2018, at Quicken Loans Arena.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Monday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Warriors are 33-9 straight up and 19-22-1 against the spread on the season. Golden State has covered in half of their 20 road games.
The Cavaliers are 26-14 straight up and an ugly 12-27-1 against the spread. Cleveland is just 3-15-1 against the spread at home this season. The Cavs are 6-25-1 attempting to cover as the favorite while they are 5-2 against the spread as the underdog.
Injury Report
Curry tweaked his ankle at practice prior to Wednesday’s game against the Clippers and didn’t play. The team has called the injury a minor one, but knowing his history of ankle issues, it could be something it decides to be cautious with.
It seems like Curry could be available for this highly-anticipated showdown, but double-check as the game gets closer. Curry is averaging 27.9 points, 6.4 assists and 1.7 steals per contest this season. He is shooting 49.2 percent from the field and 41.4 percent from three-point range.
The Warriors are otherwise healthy so if Curry is ready they could have a full complement of stars. Shooting guard Klay Thompson sat out on Wednesday just to rest so he should be energized for this one.
Player To Watch
LeBron James — The Warriors have the superior depth but the Cavs still boast a player that can change games all by himself. James is 33 years old now but it still playing at an insanely high level. He is averaging 27.2 points, 9.0 assists and 8.2 rebounds per contest.
Kevin Durant has done a nice job defensively against James at times during these matchups but this feels like it could be a vintage LeBron game where he puts the team on his back. Check to see how he is doing early on, because if James is aggressive early it could be a sign that he badly wants to pick up this home win and possibly send a message to the Warriors.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The Cavs now have Isaiah Thomas in the fold, and that is a big deal as he was the player acquired from the Celtics in the Kyrie Irving deal. He is still finding his role a little bit with the team but Thomas is a knock-down shooter who can really swing the momentum of games when he gets hot.
If Curry plays, both of these teams will be pretty much full strength and it should be an interesting showdown. The Cavs have not played up to their potential this season but there is a feeling that they will be amped up for this one.
Take Cleveland to capture this matchup at home in a game that comes down to the very last shot.
NBA Odds: Cavaliers 112, Warriors 111
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