2015 Christmas Day NBA Betting Odds: Cavs vs. Warriors
Carrie Stroup here with your 2015 Christmas Day NBA betting odds and a great game on tap: The Cavs vs. Warriors.
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (19-7) at GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (27-1)
Golden State -7
The Warriors host the Cavaliers in a rematch of last year’s NBA Finals on Christmas Day.
The Cavaliers have been waiting all season for their shot at the Warriors and they will finally get to play the defending champions on Friday. Golden State defeated Cleveland in six games in the 2015 NBA Finals, but the Cavaliers were completely depleted by injuries in that series. That will not be the case on Friday, as the team is as healthy as it has been in nearly a year. Even with the injuries, Cleveland once held a 2-1 lead in that series. However, the Warriors did cover in four of the six contests. They are also 6-4 SU and 5-5 ATS in their past 10 meetings with the Cavaliers.
Cleveland has not had much success playing in Oracle Arena either, going 2-5 SU in its past seven games there and 2-7 ATS in its past nine. The most interesting thing to watch in this one is going to be the showdown between LeBron James and Stephen Curry. The players will not be guarding each other, but they just might be the two biggest superstars in the NBA.
PG Kyrie Irving (Knee) is expected to play in this one and that is huge for the Cavaliers, as they did not have Kyrie Irving, LeBron James and Kevin Love on the court at the same time for a single minute in last year’s NBA Finals.
The Cavaliers are as healthy as they’ve been all year and PG Kyrie Irving (8.5 PPG, 4.0 APG, 1.0 SPG) is back in action. Irving has looked rusty since returning and only had five points and four assists against the Knicks on Wednesday. He’ll need to be a bit more effective if the Cavaliers are going to defeat the Warriors.
Fortunately for Cleveland, both SF LeBron James (26.4 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 6.3 APG, 1.5 SPG) and PF Kevin Love (17.5 PPG, 10.6 RPG) enter the game in good form. James is averaging 25.8 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 6.2 APG and 2.2 SPG over the past five contests. He is shooting 50.5% from the field in those games and will need to remain efficient with the Warriors stifling defense all over him. Love, meanwhile, is coming off of a 23-point and 13-rebound performance against the Knicks. Cleveland desperately needs him to be feeling confident as a shooter and he certainly looked the part on Wednesday.
While PG Steph Curry (31.2 PPG, 6.3 APG, 5.4 RPG, 2.2 SPG) was not the Finals MVP a year ago, he was the league MVP and is the frontrunner to win the award once again in 2016. Curry has been out of this world on the year, shooting 51.6% from the field, 44.8% from the outside and 90.2% from the line. He’ll be going up against Kyrie Irving on Friday and the Cavaliers point guard is not yet 100% after fracturing his kneecap early in the Finals a year ago.
PF Draymond Green (14.3 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 7.1 APG, 1.5 BPG, 1.3 SPG) will likely be the x-factor for the Warriors in this game. Green is Golden State’s most improved player, leading the team in assists and doing everything he can on the defensive end. His presence is the reason this team has been so successful, as he can hit threes, pass the ball and also guard the opposing team’s biggest players. The Cavaliers just may not have a match for him.
SF Andre Iguodala (7.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.5 SPG) will also be somebody to watch in this one. Iguodala was the Finals MVP a year ago and has played solid defense on LeBron James in the past. If he can limit the Cavaliers superstar then the Warriors have a good shot of improving on their league-best record.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
