Golden State at Cleveland NBA Lines for Game 3 – 2018 Playoffs Preview

The Golden State Warriors took full advantage of their overtime escape at home in Game One and took it to the Cleveland Cavaliers from start to finish in Game Two, rolling to a 122-103 win, a game that clearly showed the talent difference between the Warriors and the Cavs. While Cleveland boasts the most transcendent player in the NBA in LeBron James, he has four All-Stars opposing him in the Warriors’ starting lineup. After the way the Warriors roared away in overtime in the opener and then throughout Game Two, it’s worth asking whether this series will end in a sweep or whether Cleveland can pull out a game or two on their home court. Check out our NBA lines preview for Game Three, as the series moves to Ohio.

Golden State at Cleveland NBA Lines for Game 3 – 2018 Playoffs Preview

When: Wednesday, June 6, 2018, 9:00pm ET Where: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland TV: ABC Radio: 95.7 FM (Golden State) / 1100 AM (Cleveland) Live Stream: WatchESPN NBA Lines: Cleveland +4.5 / O/U 217.5

Why should you bet on the Warriors?

While LeBron is getting all the Finals MVP buzz, we have to give Stephen Curry some credit here. He set an NBA Finals record by draining nine three-balls in Game Two, scoring 33 points, and pulling down seven boards and dishing out eight assists. Kevin Durant had been clanking shots left and right in the opener but went 10 for 14 in Game Two, putting up 26 points and seven assists. Draymond Green played a workmanlike contest, with five points, eight boards and seven assists. However, JaVale McGee may have been the most pleasant surprise, going 6 for 6 for 12 points, converting a number of pick-and-roll plays. Then…there’s Klay Thompson, who recovered from a high ankle sprain in the opener to go 8 for 13 and put up 20 points. The Warriors shot 57 percent from the floor, going 15 for 36 from downtown. If you like the Warriors, then this is the sort of game you envision — their high-octane offense firing on all cylinders, with shots going in no matter who is taking them. While there were some key stops for the Warriors, they simply outran, outhustled and outshot the Cavaliers, which given the role players around LeBron, it’s easy to see how the Warriors are so heavily favored — even coming in as favorites on the road.

Why should you bet on the Cavaliers?

The Cavaliers looked exhausted as a group in Game Two, shooting just 41 percent from the floor and making just 9 of 27 from behind the arc. LeBron James almost had a triple-double with 29 points, nine boards and 13 assists, and Kevin Love put up 22 points and 10 boards, with George Hill rounding out the double-figures scorers, and the team looked game going into the fourth period, pulling as close as seven points, but then they saw Golden State roll off a 15-6 run to pull away late. The Cavaliers did a great job of harassing the Warriors’ shooters in the opener, but they looked out of sync on their rotations in Game Two, and Golden State made them pay. With that said, Golden State has just covered the spread seven times in their last 25 games after a win, and just seven times in their last 29 games after a win by more than 10 points. Cleveland has covered the spread in each of their last four home games and in five of their last seven games overall. So the numbers look to favor Cleveland — and playing in front of their home crowd should get them back close to the energy levels we saw in the opener.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

Both of the first two games have gone to the “over” on the point total — there simply are too many scorers on the floor for this game to slow down, and there is not the same defensive intensity that we saw in the Warriors-Rockets series. With the series shifting to Cleveland, I like the Cavaliers to get back to what we saw in Game One and really question how hungry the Warriors are — and I don’t see Golden State getting those same calls that they got from the officials down the stretch in Game One on the road. I predict a final score of Cleveland 112, Golden State 108.