NBA Finals 2016: Cavaliers vs. Warriors Game 5 Odds, Prop Bets, Score Prediction

Those who are looking to come out ahead of the house when it comes to the 2016 NBA Finals might have one more game to do so.

Which makes the job easy, right?

The better payouts going into Game 5 will reside with the Cleveland Cavaliers, as LeBron James and crew find themselves in a 3-1 hole before a trip to Oracle Arena for a date with the Golden State Warriors.

Perhaps more interesting than the series outcome odds, though, are the individual odds in what has been a strange series with ups and downs from names big and small. As such, let's take a moment to break down not just the odds but the notable props before Monday's Game 5.

2016 NBA Finals Game 5

When: Monday at 9 p.m. ET

Where: Oracle Arena, Oakland, California

TV: ABC

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Odds Breakdown

It isn't pretty, but here it is—Las Vegas likes the Warriors by seven points, according to Odds Shark.

There isn't any other logical outlook from oddsmakers. Golden State took 104-89 and 110-77 victories at home to start the series before the odd Game 3 blunder (which, by the way, was the only game to bet Cleveland, with the Warriors having lost every Game 3 for some reason).

Game 4 kept things in Cleveland, but venue wasn't part of the equation. The Warriors got 38 points from Stephen Curry after he failed to post more than 20 in a prior game in the series, and the team shot 47 percent from deep, while Cleveland couldn't even hit 60 percent of its attempts from the charity stripe.

How Cleveland hits the road and stays alive seems impossible to quantify, especially when one realizes the Warriors haven't lost from Game 5 on. They're on a 10-0 mark over the past two years, according to Mercury News' Tim Kawakami.

Las Vegas has prepared for such developments in order to protect the house, as an updated look at series props from Stephen Campbell of Odds Shark reveals:

Bet	Odds
Cleveland in Seven	8-1
Golden State in Five	7-4
Golden State in Six	9-2
Golden State in Seven	6-1

As mentioned, more interesting are the player props.

Take a look at the MVP lines, which offer plenty in the way of payouts, though bettors have received all of zero help from the series itself:

Bet	Odds
Stephen Curry	-125
LeBron James	+200
Klay Thompson	+500
Draymond Green	+850
Kyrie Irving	+900
Kevin Love	+2000
Andre Iguodala	+3000

Is Curry the MVP because of a critical Game 4 eruption after his invisible act for the first three games? What about Draymond Green, who isn't posting gaudy numbers but is frustrating the Cavaliers on the defensive end of the court?

Keeping such odd narratives in mind for such an odd series, where does James come into play? He's flirted with a triple-double three times this series, though Kyrie Irving has taken more shots.

On the topic of shots, one of the more interesting props continuing to make the rounds is who winds up as the top scorer. Green (+5000) seems out of the picture, given his responsibilities, which leaves James (+250), Curry (-125) and Irving (+800).

Irving sits on 100 points through four games, with James at 99 and Curry 86. Neither of the Cavaliers seems like a terrible bet, especially if one of them has to take over the game while trying to keep the team alive.

Given how this series has played out, though, the individual props seem almost akin to playing the lottery.

Prediction

The only thing seemingly capable of extending this series would be an injury or suspension. 

So, of course, one of the two just popped up, according to BasketballInsiders.com's Alex Kennedy:

Green is a major part of how Golden State contains Cleveland, with potent switches having flustered the Cavaliers, which would explain the Cavaliers only amassing 15 assists but 11 turnovers in Game 4.

Cleveland already sounds like a team that is unwilling to go home, so perhaps losing Green puts the Warriors in a tough spot.

"Let's get one," James said, according to ESPN.com. "We've already got to take a flight home anyways, so we might as well come home with a win and play on our home floor again."

Even with the Green factor put into the equation, though, bettors would be wise to roll with the Warriors on an over bet. Too much data suggest Curry and the rest cannot lose the longer a series continues. 

And whereas Cleveland is desperate to get back home and keep attempting to be the first team to come back from 3-1 in the Finals, Golden State is a 73-win defending champion with a full understanding of how dangerous this could get if the team doesn't slam the door shut Monday.

In other words, look for Curry to post another monster game on the way to a win.

Prediction: Warriors 112, Cavaliers 103

All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified. Odds via Odds Shark.