After a competitive start to the game by both teams, the Golden State Warriors run rampant in the 3rd quarter to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers by 22 points in the opening game on Friday. Game 2 will be played this Monday, the 5th of June from 10am AEST.
Kevin Durant exploded for 38 points while Steph Curry chipped in with 28 as the Warriors asserted their home dominance in game one at Golden State. They were the only two Warriors in double figure points in a great team performance that could have seen them win by even more if not for a streak of missed layups.
The Warriors had a ridiculous 56 points in the paint and could have had a whole lot more if not for their rustiness around the rim early in the game. With the lead just 8 points at half time, many Cavs fans would have thought they were still in with a chance, however, Durant and Curry in particular came out firing in the 3rd quarter as Golden State outscored Cleveland 33-20 to set up the win.
LeBron James was valiant in the loss with 28 points and 15 rebounds but ultimately couldn’t get his role players involved enough as Richard Jefferson was the only noteable player outside of Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving to surpass 5 points in the game. The likes of Iman Shumpert, Deron Williams, Kyle Korver and J.R Smith will have to lift if the Cavs are to be competitive in this series. It was their contribution on offence that made the Cavs a dominant team throughout the playoffs and if the threes aren’t falling for them the Cavs will struggle.
As predicted in our game one preview, Tristan Thompson had little to no impact in game one as he didn’t have a clear cut matchup on defence. He was easily under his total rebound line of 9.5 and the bookies have only brought it in one unit going into game two so we are confident in the under again here.
TIP: Tristan Thompson UNDER 8.5 rebounds - $1.86 at Sportsbet
Even after sitting out most of the first quarter through foul trouble, Draymond Green was only one point away from notching up a double-double. He went an awful 3 of 12 from the field for his 9 points. Back him to get the extra point here to get the double-double or even rack one up in rebounds and assists which he has been known to do.
TIP: Draymond Green Double-Double - $1.75 at CrownBet
We tipped the Cavs to cover an 8 point line in game one purely from the unknown heading into the series. After their display, it’s hard to bet against the Warriors now, they just have so many scoring options. To think they won this game by 22 points while Klay Thompson and Draymond Green both had shocking games offensively is daunting for the series.
The Warriors have won 11 of their 13 games in the playoffs by double digits and we expect it to happen again here.
TIP: Golden State -9 - $1.95 at Sportsbet
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