The Cleveland Cavaliers (14-4 SU, 10-8 ATS) look to bounce back from a thumping on Thursday when they travel to the Golden State Warriors (14-5 SU, 9-10 ATS) Sunday for Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
You can watch the game live on ABC.
Nobody expected the Warriors to roll over after two straight losses, certainly not the Cavaliers, who got the full brunt of Golden State’s wrath on Thursday. The Warriors tied the series at 2-2 with a dominating 103-82 win. LeBron James looked thoroughly exhausted and he got even less help than in the other games and it added up to a big loss. The Cavs are now faced with getting another road win to capture the NBA Title.
The good news for the Warriors is that they finally figured out how to stop a worn out James. The bad news is that the King has an extra day of rest before Game 5. If the Warriors act like they have the title wrapped up, they could be in for a big surprise.
KEY INJURY
LeBron James was shoved into the photographers area along the baseline in the second quarter, cutting open his head with 4:43 left. He crashed into a television camera and immediately grabbed his head. James didn’t leave the game but he got stitched up afterwards.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“We played desperate out there, man. We played real hungry. It was just awesome to come out here and impose our will on both sides of the ball and play our brand of basketball. That’s what’s been winning us games all year.” – Warriors guard Klay Thompson
BETTING TRENDS
- Golden State is 3-5 ATS in its last eight head-to-head meetings.
- Cleveland is 6-3 ATS in its last nine games overall.
- The UNDER is 6-1 in the last seven head-to-head meetings.
KEY STATS
215: The Warriors made 12 of 30 three-pointers Thursday and have a NBA playoff record 215 three-point baskets this postseason.
8: Cavs guard J.R. Smith missed all eight of his three-point attempts and scored just four points on 2 of 12 shooting.
28: Center Timofey Mozgov led the Cavaliers in scoring with 28 points, the most he’s scored in a game all season, and grabbed 10 rebounds.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
As great as LeBron James is he needs help. And he didn’t get any on Thursday. So when James has an off-night the Cavaliers go right along with him. James scored 20 points – 21 below his series average – with 12 rebounds and eight assists, but he didn’t score in the fourth quarter and simply couldn’t do enough for the undermanned Cavs. James was just 7 of 22 from the field and J.R. Smith missed all eight of his three-pointers as the Cavs shot 33 percent from the field. “Offensively we were terrible,” James said, noting his team was 4 of 27 on three-pointers. “Sometimes your offense just doesn’t show up.” Cleveland looked tired and played tired. Four brutal games for the title and a short bench have finally taken its toll.
Like they’ve done all season, the Warriors made their adjustments and dominated, cruising to a 103-82 win. Andre Iguodala was the adjustment. He started for the first time this season and made coach Steve Kerr’s decision look brilliant. The Warriors also built off a strong fourth quarter in Game 3 and showed a sense of urgency from the outset. Known for his defense, Iguodala drained four three-pointers and kept James in check. “Make him work as hard as possible,” Iguodala said of his plan on James. “Make him take tough shots. You look at his strengths, you look at his weaknesses, and you try to take him out of his comfort zone.”
For everyone planning the victory parade route for the Warriors just hold on. This series isn’t over yet by a long shot. Sure the Warriors handed it to the Cavs Thursday at The Q, a rarity in itself, but the Cavs are still breathing, walking and playing – barely. Both teams have an extra day of rest and that definitely benefits Cleveland and the Cavs won at Golden State once in this series going to OT in both games. LeBron rarely has back-to-back off-nights and an extra day of rest will help; but more than that he needs his teammates to contribute.
Golden State 98, Cleveland 92
BookMaker will be the first sportsbook to send out NBA odds for this game. Gamble on the game between every commercial break with BookMaker’s live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen on the next play or how many points will be scored in the next half. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
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