Warriors vs. Cavs Betting Line – Thunder vs. Suns Betting Line
The Warriors vs. Cavs betting line had Cleveland at -3 and a total of 216.
A star-studded matchup ensues when the Golden State Warriors continue their road trip with a visit to Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers tonight.
There hasn’t been too much slowing down the Warriors this year and despite playing seven of their last nine games on the road, they have gone 7-2 SU (3-5-1 ATS) since the start of February. The offense continues to be a force and the team has scored at least 110 points five of those contests and shot better than 50% as a team three times. The Warriors played their second of six straight road games on Tuesday against the Wizards and matched the seven points they were giving in a 114-107 win. Golden State’s defense didn’t do well, however, allowing Washington to make 53.2% of its shots, but they weren’t shabby offensively either (50% FG) and really won the game with seven more three-pointers and 26 forced turnovers.
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Cleveland has played just as well as its opponent recently and come into this big game as victors in 17 of its past 19 contests (15-4 ATS). In that time they are winning games by an average of 15.4 PPG and hit triple-digits on offense in all but two victories. Their latest triumph came on the road against Detroit when they were seven-point favorites and left with a 102-93 win. It really only came down to making shots as the Pistons were successful on a mere 40.2% of their attempts, matching the Cavs in nearly every other aspect of the game.
The Warriors have had more trouble on the road, getting eight of their 10 losses in away games and compiling an overall record of 20-8 SU (13-13-2 ATS). For Cleveland, it has treated its fans to 21 victories in 30 attempts (70%) and is just barely better than .500 ATS (16-14).
This is not their first meeting on the year and the first matchup was no contest as Golden State dominated in a 112-94 game as 13.5-point favorites at home. They made half of their shots (43-of-86) and didn’t let the Cavaliers do much while playing without their leader, LeBron James. Overall in the past three seasons, the Warriors have gotten the best of this opponent and gone 4-1 SU (3-2 ATS) when facing off.
Some interesting trends to consider before dropping money on this game include that Golden State is 28-13 ATS (68%) after one or more consecutive wins this year as Cleveland has gone 17-5 ATS (77%) after five straight games of allowing a shooting percentage of 42% or less over the past two seasons. In injury news, the Warriors come into this one with a clean slate as the Cavs continue to be without C Anderson Varejao (Achilles) for the remainder of the year and SF Shawn Marion (Hip) for the next couple of weeks.
There has been no match for the Golden State offense as they lead the league in scoring (110.4 PPG), FG% (47.9%) and three-point accuracy (38.9%). The defense has also held up its end of the bargain, allowing 99.8 PPG on a league-best 42.5% shooting.
PG Stephen Curry (23.8 PPG, 7.9 APG, 4.6 RPG, 2.2 SPG) came back from a 1-game absence to walk all over the Wizards for 32 points and eight assists in the win on Tuesday night. He also had no trouble against this Cleveland team with a double-double (23 points, 10 assists) and two steals earlier in the year.
SG Klay Thompson (22.3 PPG, 1.2 SPG, 44% 3PM) has put up 25.3 PPG in the three contests since the All-Star break and is fourth in the league in 3PT% as he has made 164 shots from behind the arc; putting him behind only Kyle Korver and teammate Stephen Curry. He didn’t miss out on the scoring fest against the Cavs in their last matchup as he added 24 points with two steals and a block in the victory.
SF Draymond Green (11.0 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 1.4 RPG) has taken a backseat offensively, scoring a mere 7.4 PPG over his last five performances, but continues to contribute everywhere else on the court with 1.2 SPG and 1.2 BPG over that period. He nearly put up a triple-double in the win over Cleveland back in January, netting 10 points to go with 11 rebounds, eight assists, three blocks and a steal.
Cleveland’s offense has been steadily improving and currently ranks third in the east and eighth overall in scoring (102.6 PPG) as it makes 45.8% of its shots (9th in league). On the other side of the ball, the Cavs are giving up 98.7 PPG (13th in league) behind 45.4% shooting (11th-worst in league).
SF LeBron James (25.7 PPG, 7.3 APG, 5.6 RPG, 1.5 SPG) continues to be the most dominant baller in the world and has scored in double-digits in every game this year as he comes off a stellar showing (19 points, 11 assists, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block) against Detroit. He wasn’t on the court for the first meeting with Golden State, but had some amazing numbers (31.0 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 7.0 APG) against them in two games as a member of the Heat last season.
PG Kyrie Irving (21.6 PPG, 5.3 APG, 1.5 SPG) has gone cold from behind the arc in his past four games, making just 4-of-14 long-range shots (29% 3PM) as he averages 19.5 PPG. He also had trouble from the field the last time these teams met, hitting 9-of-23 shots (39% FG) for 23 points as he added six rebounds, five assists and three steals in a losing effort.
PF Kevin Love (16.9 PPG, 10.4 RPG) scored more than 20 points for just the third time in his past nine performances when he went for 24 against Detroit on Tuesday with all of his baskets coming from three-point range. He didn’t have any problems getting a nice stat-line (17 points, 14 rebounds) against Golden State just a little over a month ago.
Thunder vs. Suns Betting Line
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (32-25) at PHOENIX SUNS (30-28)
Sportsbook.ag Line: Oklahoma City -5.5, Total: 217.0
Oklahoma City goes for an eighth straight victory when it heads to Phoenix and faces the Suns Thursday.
The Thunder faced the Pacers as a 7.5-point home favorite on Tuesday and came away with a 105-92 victory. Oklahoma City has now won-and-covered in seven straight games and the team has been brilliant on both ends of the floor. Over the past five contests, this team is averaging 108.6 PPG and allowing just 93.4 PPG. Phoenix, meanwhile, snapped a 5-game losing streak with a 110-96 win in Denver on Wednesday. The Suns are just 2-3-1 ATS in their past six games.
These two teams have already met twice this season, with the Thunder winning both games SU but covering in just one of those contests. Both games took place in Oklahoma City though, and Phoenix has actually won-and-covered in its past two home games versus the Thunder.
Oklahoma City is 12-3 ATS after playing three consecutive games as a favorite this season and 71-51 ATS after playing a home game over the past three seasons. Phoenix, however, is 11-3 ATS when revenging a road loss versus an opponent this season. The Suns are also 36-22 ATS as an underdog over the past two seasons. SF Steve Novak (Appendix) and C Steven Adams (Hand) are both out indefinitely for the Thunder. SF Kevin Durant (Foot) is also out indefinitely, as the superstar’s foot will be evaluated sometime in the coming weeks. Phoenix is not currently dealing with any injuries.
Oklahoma City is one of the hottest teams in basketball and that is because of PG Russell Westbrook (25.9 PPG, 8.0 APG, 6.5 RPG, 2.0 SPG). Westbrook followed up a career-high 17 assists against the Nuggets Sunday with a triple-double (20 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists) against the Pacers on Tuesday. The superstar has now posted 10+ assists in all four games since winning MVP in the All-Star Game. He’s averaging 24.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 6.0 APG and 1.5 SPG in two games against the Suns this season and should be in for a monster performance in this one, as he’ll have the green light to shoot more against a team that gives up a ton of easy baskets.
C Enes Kanter (13.9 PPG, 8.0 RPG) has played very well since being acquired by the Thunder. Kanter had 15 points and five boards in 23 minutes against the Pacers. That followed up two straight double-doubles for the big man and he’ll need to get things going against the Suns. He was useless against Phoenix when playing for Utah, averaging 4.5 PPG and 4.0 RPG in 20.0 MPG in two games.
PF Serge Ibaka (14.2 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 2.4 BPG) should have a big game in this one. He’s scored 20+ points in three of his past four games and is going up against a Phoenix team that is weak at the power forward position. He’ll need to protect the rim and will have a number of opportunities to knock down open jumpers in this one as well.
SG Dion Waiters (10.7 PPG, 1.3 SPG) has played well over the past few games for the Thunder. He’s averaging 15.5 PPG over the past two contests and will be relied on to score against this up-tempo Suns team.
The Suns finally found the win column in a dominant performance against the Nuggets in Denver. PG Brandon Knight (17.7 PPG, 5.4 APG, 4.1 RPG, 1.5 SPG) played his best game in a Suns uniform in Denver, finishing with 19 points, six assists and three rebounds in 33 minutes. Knight is an excellent shooter (40% 3PT) and should really thrive on a team that gives its guards a lot of freedom.
PG Eric Bledsoe (17.1 PPG, 6.0 APG, 5.3 RPG, 1.7 SPG) has played really well over the past five games for Phoenix. Since being handed the keys to the team after Phoenix traded both PGs Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas, Bledsoe has been way more aggressive. He is averaging just 12.8 shot attempts per game on the season, but he’s shot the ball 33 times over the past two contests. He’s averaging 19.5 PPG, 8.0 APG, 6.5 RPG and 2.0 SPG in those contests and must continue to attack the basket and find his teammates as well. He should be matched up with Russell Westbrook for a majority of this game and he must stay disciplined on defense and avoid foul trouble.
C Alex Len (6.4 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 1.7 BPG) has now had 10+ rebounds in four straight games. He’s also had two games with six blocks in that span. Len is really figuring things out for Phoenix and he’ll need to play well in his matchup with Enes Kanter.
SF P.J. Tucker (8.4 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.4 SPG) has been on a tear, averaging 14.6 PPG, 8.4 RPG and 2.2 SPG over the past five games. Tucker is a great on-ball defender and has been knocking down his shots lately. If he is playing well offensively then the Thunder will really have issues.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
