by Chuck Sommers
Friday, Nov 11, 2022
Time: 10 p.m. ET
Venue: Chase Center, San Francisco, CA
Where to watch: NBC Sports Bay Area, Bally Sports Ohio
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Warriors -2
FanDuel: Warriors -2
BetMGM: Warriors -1.5
Caesars: Warriors -1.5
Season record
Cavaliers: 8-3
Warriors: 4-7
What a thrilling start to the NBA season, and it's time to get your picks in for what should be an enticing season. A lot of new faces in new places already making an impact, and our champion handicappers are already starting to take notice. Look at our own Jack Banks off to a 3-0-0 start in the NBA this week. Nelly's Sports is also at 4-0-0 while Jim Feist has also cashed on his first two of the year. As the season progresses, you know we're going to be in a position to deliver you the best analysis and picks that one can have in this market. Make sure you check out our Best Bets page at bigal.com to find all of our handicappers' selections, comprehensive previews, and more!
Cavaliers - Warriors preview, prediction and analysis
Recent form
Cavaliers: lost two straight; lost 127-120 at Kings
Warriors: won 119-116 vs. Kings
I’m not really sure what part of the world I live on where the Cleveland Cavaliers are doing much better than the Golden State Warriors, but it might be the norm for the time being. The teams will meet Friday in San Francisco where the Warriors will try to build off a ridiculous performance from Steph Curry as they try to solve the Donovan Mitchell-Darius Garland combo.
I’m not really sure what part of the world I live on where the Cleveland Cavaliers are doing much better than the Golden State Warriors, but it might be the norm for the time being. The teams will meet Friday in San Francisco where the Warriors will try to build off a ridiculous performance from Steph Curry as they try to solve the Donovan Mitchell-Darius Garland combo.
But even with the Warriors off to a rough start, things look up for their matchup Friday. Golden State has won the last 10 regular season meetings and is coming off a 116-113 win over the Sacramento Kings on Monday where Steph Curry went off for 47 points in the much-needed victory that ended a five-game losing streak.
"Steph was breathtaking," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said afterward. "He's one of the greatest players of all time. He plays well on so many nights (but) this even seemed like something special for him."
Andrew Wiggins had 25 points and 10 rebounds, while Klay Thompson was held to just 16 points on 6 of 18 shooting, but it’s the defense that’s been a problem for the Warriors, something that’s usually not characteristic. The Warriors gave up almost 122 points per game during their 0-5 road trip with losses to Detroit and Orlando.
"That's the story of this team," Curry said. "As vets, you understand every year is a little different and you are ready for that challenge. For these young guys to try and find themselves in this league and also a specific role, it's challenging."
But the Warriors can hope that Curry’s performance will turn into a run. The Cavs have lost two in a row after winning eight straight, with the latest being a 127-120 loss to the Kings on Wednesday that offset a 38-point performance by Mitchell. It was the eighth time in 10 games that Mitchell crossed the 30-point mark this season.
"We can't come out and expect to just turn it on," Mitchell said. "Just really on us to make that effort as a group. Has nothing to do with offense. It's really just our defense. We pride ourselves on that and that's what we've been even before I got here and for us to be who we are, we have to be really solid defensively and we weren't the past two games.
"We've relied heavily on the offense and hoping that the offense carries us. That's not what we do."
The Cavs got off to that surprising 8-1 start led by the play of their superstar acquisition, but the Cavs are still a ways from showing that they can contend in the East. This is a group with all that potential, but they struggled down the stretch at the end of the year. That’s the next hurdle for them.
"That's arrogant basketball. You can't survive in the NBA playing that way," Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "Teams are too good, guys are too good. If we want to be a good basketball team, we need to remember who we are and we need to play Cavaliers basketball. If we don't do those things, we'll have nights like this."
Prediction
This is important from the Warriors needing a statement win, while the Cavs can’t drop their third in a row. Golden State’s defense scares me right now. If Cleveland starts getting into a groove, they can run away with this thing. Cavs by 10
Betting trends
Cavs are 13-4 ATS in November the last three years.
Cavs are 19-39 ATS after playing 6 or more games in 10 days the last three years.
Cavs are 17-34 ATS off a road loss the last three years.
Warriors are 45-30 ATS as a home favorite the last three years.
Warriors are 14-5 ATS in November the last three years.
Projected starting lineup
Cavaliers:
PG: Darius Garland
SG: Donovan Mitchell
SF: Caris LeVert
PF: Evan Mobley
C: Jarrett Allen
Warriors:
PG: Steph Curry
SG: Klay Thompson
SF: Andrew Wiggins
PF: Draymond Green
C: Kevon Looney
Statistical leaders
Cavs:
Points: Donovan Mitchell -- 31.9
Rebounds: Jarrett Allen -- 11.7
Assists: Caris LeVert -- 5.8
Warriors:
Points: Steph Curry -- 32.6
Rebounds: Steph Curry -- 7.1
Assists: Steph Curry -- 6.9
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this Cleveland Cavaliers - Golden State Warriors prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NBA projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
