NBA Finals Betting: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors Game 1 Odds

The defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors had a tougher path to get to the championship round than last year, while the Cleveland Cavaliers took an easier road.

On Thursday, bettors will find out which will matter more initially when the Warriors host the Cavaliers as six-point home favorites at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark for Game 1 of the NBA Finals at Oakland’s Oracle Arena.

Golden State is also a -200 favorite (bet $200 to win $100) to take home its second straight Larry O’Brien Trophy after cruising through the regular season with a record-breaking 73-9 mark and beating Cleveland 4-2 in last year’s NBA Finals.

It has not been smooth sailing in the playoffs so far for the Warriors, who had to battle back from a 3-1 deficit against the Oklahoma City Thunder to win the Western Conference Finals.

Two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry played all seven games against the Thunder after missing six combined in the previous two rounds due to injuries, and he averaged 27.9 points in the series on 44.3 percent shooting, including 41.6 from three-point range.

However, it was teammate Klay Thompson who came alive and helped lead Golden State from the brink of elimination, averaging 29.7 points in the last three games, including 41 with a playoff-record 11 three-pointers in Game 6 at Oklahoma City.

The three-point shooting of Curry and Thompson will be challenged by the Cavs, though, with a full arsenal of offensive weapons surrounding LeBron James this time around.

Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving missed the last five games of the 2015 NBA Finals against the Warriors after fracturing his kneecap at the end of the series opener, while Kevin Love did not play at all following a shoulder injury in the first round.

Irving’s defense on Curry and Love’s matchup with Golden State’s Draymond Green could be the difference between a repeat champion and the first NBA title for the Cavs.

James was spectacular in leading Cleveland to a 2-1 series lead a year ago, but he simply did not get enough help, with the Warriors winning the last three games.

Golden State has won the past five meetings with the Cavaliers straight up and has gone 4-1 against the spread, according to the Odds Shark NBA Database, including a two-game sweep of this year’s regular-season series.

Despite featuring two high-scoring offensive teams, this matchup has seen the under go 7-3-1 in the past 11 meetings.