NBA Finals 2018: Cavaliers vs. Warriors Game 1 Odds, Props and Predictions

The Golden State Warriors will host the Cleveland Cavaliers for Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals on Thursday at 9 p.m. ET. ABC will broadcast the game.

While the Warriors look like heavy favorites at first glance, the Cavaliers have LeBron James, who has been near-invincible in these playoffs thanks to his 34.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, 8.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game.

Perhaps he wills the Cavs to victory, although beating this Warriors team four times in a seven-game series seems like a very tall task.

Here's a look at the spread and over/under totals for this game, per OddsShark, in addition to a few notable props via OddsShark and Oddschecker. Predictions are also offered for all of the listed bets.

Spread, Over/Under and Predictions

Per OddsShark, the Warriors are 12.5-point favorites over the Cavaliers in Game 1, with the over/under total set at 214.5 points. The line opened with an 11.5-point spread and 217.5-point over/under mark.

The following point spreads indicate the Warriors' margin of victory in their home playoff wins this year: 21, 15, eight, 22, five, nine, 41, 29. Their lone loss at Oracle Arena was a 95-92 defeat to the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference finals. Prior to that game, Golden State hadn't lost a home playoff game since Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals.

The Warriors' home-court dominance is reason enough to believe that they can surpass the 12.5-point spread, and that's even with Cleveland's second-leading scorer (Kevin Love) returning.

Love, who was in the league's concussion protocol after a collision with Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals, will be back for Game 1 of the NBA Finals, per Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated:

Rachel Nichols of ESPN also provided comments from Cavs head coach Ty Lue about Love's availability:

While Love is a huge boost to Cleveland on the offensive end, the Cavaliers are still going to have trouble on defense. In particular, the Golden State backcourt of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson provides a clear mismatch for any of the Cavs guards.

Given that, plus the Warriors' home-court advantage, the edge here goes to Golden State and the over.

Pick: Warriors, Over

Notable Props and Predictions

NBA Finals MVP

Per OddsShark, Warriors forward Kevin Durant is the clear favorite to win NBA Finals MVP given his -150 odds (a $150 bet would net $100), while Dubs point guard Stephen Curry is second on the odds ledger with +175 odds. LeBron James (+700), Warriors forward Draymond Green (+1000) and Golden State guard Klay Thompson (+1400) round out the rest of the MVP table.

Curry and Green seemingly present the most value. It's possible that Curry gets hot from three-point land and averages over 30 points per game for the series. Likewise, Green could simply post triple-doubles and play excellent defense for the majority of the NBA Finals and take the MVP as well.

The safest bet between those two is Curry, who has fared well in his last six games (28.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.0 steals) and looked 100 percent after a Grade 2 MCL sprain forced him to miss nearly two months of action.

Pick: Curry

Will LeBron James Win the Finals MVP Despite the Cavaliers Losing the Series?

Per OddsShark, bettors have +900 odds if they take LeBron James to win the NBA Finals MVP award even if the Cavaliers fall in the NBA Finals. On the opposite side, the books list -1800 odds against that happening.

The former bet is an interesting one. The NBA Finals MVP award was first granted in 1969, when Los Angeles Lakers guard Jerry West took the honor after averaging 37.9 points, 7.4 assists and 4.7 rebounds in seven games against the Boston Celtics. It was an incredible accomplishment, especially considering the fact that the Lakers lost the series in seven games.

That year marked the only time a player on the losing NBA Finals team won the MVP award. In order for that to happen again, LeBron James would clearly have to be the best player on the floor for the entire series (as West was in 1969), and the NBA Finals likely has to go the full seven games.

It's a testament to how great James has been in the playoffs, but this bet actually seems conceivable. It's certainly possible James posts the best stats out of anyone on the floor, but the issue is whether this series can go deep.

It's hard seeing the Cavs taking a home game per reasons listed above, but it's certainly possible that they hold serve in Quicken Loans Arena, where they have gone 37-13 this year (including playoffs).

Ultimately, taking James in this wager isn't the safest proposition, so it's best to avoid it, but the +900 odds are definitely intriguing.

Pick: No

Third-Quarter Winner

Per OddsChecker, sportsbooks are offering 5-16 and 10-29 odds for the Warriors to win the third quarter. That's not a great return on investment (a $320 bet on the 5-16 odds would net just $100, for example).

That being said, the Warriors are a phenomenal third-quarter team, averaging 30.3 points per game in that frame. That mark leads the league.

Furthermore, the Warriors have outscored their opponents in the third quarter eight out of nine times dating back to a Game 3 loss in the conference semifinals to the New Orleans Pelicans.

Since then, these are the following third-quarter edges the Warriors built: 14, 17, seven, 10, 17, one, 17, 18. All told, their average margin of third-quarter victory is 12.6 points during those eight games.

While there's no such thing as a sure bet, as far as in-game props go, picking the Warriors to win the third quarter seems like the one closest to a lock.

Pick: Warriors