Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Betting Preview, Game Stats

The Golden State Warriors have already beaten the Cleveland Cavaliers and covered the posted spread once this season, but LeBron James wasn't on the floor for the Cavs in that contest. The two NBA title contenders will meet for the second time this season Thursday night.

The Warriors topped the Cavaliers 112-94 as a 13.5-point home favorite in the first meeting of the season between the teams back on January 9, with James on the sidelines for Cleveland that night. That improved Golden State to 7-3 straight up and 8-2 against the spread in its last 10 games against the Cavaliers dating back to 2009. 

Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry led the way for the Warriors in that January home victory, with Thompson scoring a team-high 24 points and Curry adding 23 points in the contest. Draymond Green was good for 10 points and 11 rebounds against the Cavaliers as well.

J.R. Smith led the Cavaliers in that losing cause, as he poured in a team-high 27 points. Kyrie Irving was good for 23 points for Cleveland in that contest, with Kevin Love adding 17 points and 14 rebounds.

The Warriors vs. Cavaliers betting matchup on Thursday night will feature the two teams sitting atop the current odds to win the NBA championship this spring—with those teams exchanging the top spot on those futures back and forth over the past month.

A couple of weeks ago, the Warriors stood as the 3-1 favorites to win the NBA championship at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark, with the Cavaliers just behind them at 7-2 on those betting futures.

The latest NBA title lines, however, have the Cavaliers back as the 11-4 favorites, with the Warriors now second at 7-2 odds. Cleveland's ascension can be tied to Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose's knee surgery—with Rose on the sidelines, the Cavaliers could have an easier time in the Eastern Conference side of the NBA playoff bracket.

Cleveland enters Thursday night's home game against Golden State at 36-22 straight up and 29-29 against the spread on the season, and the Cavaliers are 16-14 against the spread through 30 home games so far this year and 25-21 against the spread as the favorite. Early betting lines for Thursday night had the Cavaliers sitting as 3.5-point home chalk.

The Warriors are 44-10 straight up and 33-20-1 against the spread on the season, plus 14-14 against the spread on the road and 3-3 against the spread as the underdog.