Game of the day: Cavaliers at Warriors
Jun 13, 2015
Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors (-8.5,195.5)
Series tied 2-2
The injury-riddled Cleveland Cavaliers may have to dig into their bench for reinforcements when they face the host Golden State Warriors in Sunday's Game 5 of the NBA Finals. The losses of forward Kevin Love (shoulder) and point guard Kyrie Irving (knee) have left Cleveland short-handed but the series is tied at two games apiece after Golden State emerged victorious with a 103-82 rout in Game 4.
Cavaliers coach David Blatt has been reluctant to play more than seven or eight players but star forward LeBron James not-so-subtly hinted that veterans such as Mike Miller (14 minutes in the series) and Shawn Marion (no action) need to see playing time so the starters can get more rest. "That's the coach's decision if he decides he wants to go deeper in the bench," James said at a press conference. "We haven't played many guys throughout this playoff run. I think it would help some of the guys that are playing some high minutes for sure -- just give guys a couple minutes here, a couple minutes there." One of the more valuable players in the series is Golden State guard Andre Iguodala, who started for the first time all season in Game 4 and had 22 points while holding James to a series-low 20. "You understand how hard it really is just to win a game, and you take it one game at a time," Iguodala told reporters. "The flow has changed. You make so many adjustments, your mind's just always locked in on a task and you learn how mentally strong you have to be in order to just win a game and not just a series."
TV: 8 p.m. ET, ABC
LINE HISTORY: Online books opened the lines at GS -8.5, 195.5 after Game 4, which has yet to move.
INJURY REPORT: Cavaliers - F LeBron James (Prob-Head), G Kyrie Irving (Out-Knee) Warriors - N/A
WHAT BOOKS SAY: "As expected, the bettors love LeBron in this situation. And can you blame them? Just as Game 4 was a must-win scenario for Golden State, the table has turned and now Cleveland is in the same situation. The chess game will go back and forth between the coaching staffs, but this is really going to come down to how much King James has left in the tank." John Lester, BookMaker.eu
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS: James is averaging 35.8 points in the series despite a miserable 7-for-22 shooting effort in Game 4 that drops his series percentage to 38.8. Guards Matthew Dellavedova (3-of-14), J.R. Smith (2-of-12) and Iman Shumpert (2-of-9) all had dismal shooting performances in Game 4 with Smith missing all eight 3-point attempts as Cleveland was 4-of-27 from behind the arc. "We don't have many options as far as lineups we can to go, but we can make adjustments," James said. "That's what you do throughout a series."
ABOUT THE WARRIORS: Iguodala's surprise start moved center Andrew Bogut to the bench and Bogut played just three minutes while forward David Lee remained part of the rotation after providing a spark in Game 3. But outside of Iguodala's contributions, the best sight for Golden State was seeing point guard Stephen Curry shoot 4-of-7 from 3-point range and the league MVP has scored 39 points over the last five quarters. "Obviously, you never lose your confidence," Curry said at his press conference. "You understand there is a lot of series left, and a lot of opportunity to turn it around."
TRENDS:
*Cavaliers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a double-digit loss at home.
*Warriors are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 home games.
*Under is 6-1 in Cavaliers last 7 vs. a team with a winning S.U. record.
*Under is 13-3 in Warriors last 16 overall.
COVERS CONSENSUS: 61.82 percent of the consensus is on the Cavs +8.5 with 59.4 percent on the over.
Jun 13, 2015
Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors (-8.5,195.5)
Series tied 2-2
The injury-riddled Cleveland Cavaliers may have to dig into their bench for reinforcements when they face the host Golden State Warriors in Sunday's Game 5 of the NBA Finals. The losses of forward Kevin Love (shoulder) and point guard Kyrie Irving (knee) have left Cleveland short-handed but the series is tied at two games apiece after Golden State emerged victorious with a 103-82 rout in Game 4.
Cavaliers coach David Blatt has been reluctant to play more than seven or eight players but star forward LeBron James not-so-subtly hinted that veterans such as Mike Miller (14 minutes in the series) and Shawn Marion (no action) need to see playing time so the starters can get more rest. "That's the coach's decision if he decides he wants to go deeper in the bench," James said at a press conference. "We haven't played many guys throughout this playoff run. I think it would help some of the guys that are playing some high minutes for sure -- just give guys a couple minutes here, a couple minutes there." One of the more valuable players in the series is Golden State guard Andre Iguodala, who started for the first time all season in Game 4 and had 22 points while holding James to a series-low 20. "You understand how hard it really is just to win a game, and you take it one game at a time," Iguodala told reporters. "The flow has changed. You make so many adjustments, your mind's just always locked in on a task and you learn how mentally strong you have to be in order to just win a game and not just a series."
TV: 8 p.m. ET, ABC
LINE HISTORY: Online books opened the lines at GS -8.5, 195.5 after Game 4, which has yet to move.
INJURY REPORT: Cavaliers - F LeBron James (Prob-Head), G Kyrie Irving (Out-Knee) Warriors - N/A
WHAT BOOKS SAY: "As expected, the bettors love LeBron in this situation. And can you blame them? Just as Game 4 was a must-win scenario for Golden State, the table has turned and now Cleveland is in the same situation. The chess game will go back and forth between the coaching staffs, but this is really going to come down to how much King James has left in the tank." John Lester, BookMaker.eu
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS: James is averaging 35.8 points in the series despite a miserable 7-for-22 shooting effort in Game 4 that drops his series percentage to 38.8. Guards Matthew Dellavedova (3-of-14), J.R. Smith (2-of-12) and Iman Shumpert (2-of-9) all had dismal shooting performances in Game 4 with Smith missing all eight 3-point attempts as Cleveland was 4-of-27 from behind the arc. "We don't have many options as far as lineups we can to go, but we can make adjustments," James said. "That's what you do throughout a series."
ABOUT THE WARRIORS: Iguodala's surprise start moved center Andrew Bogut to the bench and Bogut played just three minutes while forward David Lee remained part of the rotation after providing a spark in Game 3. But outside of Iguodala's contributions, the best sight for Golden State was seeing point guard Stephen Curry shoot 4-of-7 from 3-point range and the league MVP has scored 39 points over the last five quarters. "Obviously, you never lose your confidence," Curry said at his press conference. "You understand there is a lot of series left, and a lot of opportunity to turn it around."
TRENDS:
*Cavaliers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a double-digit loss at home.
*Warriors are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 home games.
*Under is 6-1 in Cavaliers last 7 vs. a team with a winning S.U. record.
*Under is 13-3 in Warriors last 16 overall.
COVERS CONSENSUS: 61.82 percent of the consensus is on the Cavs +8.5 with 59.4 percent on the over.