As has traditionally become the case, Christmas Day features some of the best NBA matchups of the year. The showcase game this time around is a rematch of the NBA Finals from last season, as the Golden State Warriors play host to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
You can bet on NBA odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
SCHEDULING
The schedule is pretty manageable for both of these teams heading into the holiday. The Cavs haven't had to leave home in a while, playing their last away game on December 15. Since that point, they will have only played three home games before heading out West, the last of which is against the Knicks on Wednesday.
Golden State actually hasn't been away from home since December 12. The Dubs continue to rip through teams, and they'll have four off days before having to face the Jazz on Wednesday and the Cavs on Friday.
If there's one factor to remember, it's that Cleveland has to get used to life out on the West Coast. The Cavaliers have to head to Portland as soon as this game is said and done with, and it would be easy for them to check out on Christmas Day and get ready for Saturday's showdown in Portland.
INJURIES
Harrison Barnes played a huge role in the NBA Finals last year, but he isn't going to be ready to return from his ankle injury in this game. The swingman has missed 10 games in a row, but clearly, Golden State hasn't missed him all that much.
Cleveland is basically at full strength for the first time this season, though it's notable that Mo Williams has a thumb injury which could keep him out through the end of the calendar year.
KEY MATCHUP
The lineup the Cavaliers couldn't figure out how to stop was the small one for the Warriors. In fairness, no one really has this year.
Can just one of the three of Kevin Love, Timofey Mozgov or Tristan Thompson figure out how to play center against Draymond Green? No one did last year in the Finals, and in fact, perhaps the best counter Cleveland had to the small lineup was going big and letting LeBron James play the small forward spot.
It'll be interesting to see how the Cavaliers counter the small Warriors lineup this time around, and that might be the key to covering this game.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
The Dubs were definitively the better of these two teams last year in the NBA Finals, and though Cleveland is a lot healthier now than it was at that point, we don't see this game ending any different than 26 of Golden State's first 27 games this year.
Klay Thompson has scored 70 points in his last two games, while Stephen Curry has just continued his torrid pace with nine straight games of at least 25 points. These two men already have 211 threes in just 25 games between them this season, and the Cavaliers aren't going to be able to move out to the perimeter to slow things down.
The biggest players come up big in the big time games, and there isn't a bigger setting than this. Expect to see the Splash Brothers knock down another dozen threes or so and combine for at least 50 points en route to another comfortable win for Golden State.
Golden State 112, Cleveland 97
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 the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors will go down Friday, December 25, 2015 at 5:00 p.m. ET at Oracle Arena. The matchup will be televised live on ABC.
