NBA Finals 2015: Warriors vs. Cavaliers Game 3 Odds, Props and Predictions
The 2015 NBA Finals heads to Northeast Ohio Tuesday night for Game 3 of this wildly entertaining series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors.
LeBron James, robbed of his talented teammates Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving by the injury scourge, has elevated his game to brilliant heights to keep his overmatched (on paper) team in contention.
King James poured in 44 points in an overtime Game 1 loss, then powered a 95-93 Cleveland win with 39 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists. He's older, wiser and just as motivated to bring long-suffering Cleveland fans a title, despite the lack of star power around him.
By comparison, the Warriors are very much intact and likely won't have to suffer through another woeful shooting performance from league MVP Stephen Curry, who scored 19 points on 5-of-23 shooting—including a shield-your-eyes 2-of-15 performance from beyond the arc—Sunday night.
With two thrilling overtime games already in the books, this series has the makings of a classic, and Game 3 qualifies as can't-miss television, whether you're a hoops junkie or just a casual fan.
Here's a look at some game odds, prop bets and predictions for Tuesday's outcome.
2015 NBA Finals Game 3 Odds
| Golden State | 100-121 | -1.5 |
| Cleveland | 101-100 | +1.5 |
Game 3 odds courtesy of Odds Shark and updated as of June 9 at 9 a.m. ET.
Prop Odds
| Golden State | 39-40 (-1) | 10-11 | 2 pt. FG (1-5), 3 pt. FG 13-2 | 195 (Over -105, Under -115) | ||
| Cleveland | 16-19 (+1) | 10-11 |
Note: first-half spread, first scoring play (not specific to Golden State) and first basket odds are courtesy of OddsChecker.com. Over/under is via Odds Shark. Prop bets updated as of June 9 at 9 a.m. ET.
Analysis
Let's get this out of the way first: Curry is going to bounce back from his Game 2 performance, and probably in a big way.
According to Basketball-Reference.com, Curry shot under 30 percent just four times this season, and his 21.7 percent clip from Sunday was his lowest of the season. His follow-up performances from those poor-shooting games were usually quite good.
| 01/23/15 | vs. Sacramento | 10 | 3-11 | .273 |
| 01/25/15 | vs. Boston | 22 | 6-16 | .375 |
| 02/26/15 | at Cleveland | 18 | 5-17 | .294 |
| 02/27/15 | at Toronto | 22 | 8-13 | .615 |
| 03/11/15 | vs. Detroit | 9 | 4-15 | .267 |
| 03/14/15 | vs. New York | 25 | 8-15 | .533 |
| 03/20/15 | vs. New Orleans | 16 | 4-17 | .235 |
| 03/21/15 | vs. Utah | 24 | 8-18 | .444 |
Grantland's Zach Lowe notes that the Warriors have options even if the Cavs continue to hound Curry:
"As I wrote after Game 1, the Warriors have faced that defense before, and they have built counters for it — including those flying Green pin-downs for Thompson that worked again last night. Green needs to make more functional plays on those 4-on-3s when Curry entrusts the offense to him, and, holy heck, would just one pick-and-pop 3 be a welcome sight for the Dubs...
"
As for the Cavs, key contributions from Matthew Dellavedova and Timofey Mozgov have sustained them despite the loss of Irving and two strangely subdued performances from J.R. Smith. One player who needs to get going is Tristan Thompson, who has all of two points in this series on 1-of-9 shooting from the floor.
Grantland's Kirk Goldsberry noted he was a drag on the team's effort in Game 2, but Mr. Jimmy noted he's been a monster on the glass:
With 13 offensive rebounds this series, it's a shame Thompson hasn't been able to come up with more easy putback buckets. Of course, the entire Cavs lineup has mostly been deferring to James, and for good reason. The superstar could be seen in both Games 1 and 2 cajoling teammates, pleading with the referees and yes, playing phenomenal basketball.
"If you’re looking for us to play sexy, cute basketball, that’s not us,” he said via Scott Cacciola of the New York Times. “That’s not us right now. Everything is tough.”
With James on a rampage, Curry in line to rebound from an outlier night and both teams playing at an often feverish clip, take the over in this contest and expect the Warriors to pull this one out in regulation.
Prediction: Warriors 103, Cavaliers 97
