Will Golden State be able to keep up with Cleveland?
The Cavaliers look to make it through their West Coast rendezvous unscathed.
Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (27-4) at Golden State Warriors (16-15)
Where: Chase Center - San Francisco, CA
When: 10:00 p.m., Monday - Dec. 30
TV: Fanduel Sports Network Ohio (previously Bally Sports), NBA League Pass
Line: Cavs -4.5
Expected Cavs starting lineup: Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Dean Wade, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen.
Cavs injury report: Isaac Okoro - OUT (shoulder), Emoni Bates - OUT (G League), Craig Porter Jr. - OUT (G League), J.T. Thor - OUT (G League), Luke Travers - OUT (G League)
Expected Warriors starting lineup: Steph Curry, Dennis Schroder, Andrew Wiggins, Trayce Jackson-Davis
Warriors injury report: Moses Moody - PROBABLE (knee), Gary Payton II - OUT (calf), Brandin Podziemski - OUT (abs)
Since the last time the Cavaliers and Warriors matched up, the narrative has soured on Golden State. Both teams were flying high in their first meeting. The Warriors looked to have found a working system in a post-Klay Thompson world coming into the game at 7-1. Since that blowout loss to the Cavaliers, things appear to have been more turbulent than one would expect.
The Warriors seem to have wrung the juice out of their 12-man rotations and are now looking for answers on both ends of the ball. After starting 12-3, they’ve tail spun now having won merely four of their last 15 games. It appeared that management realized they would need more help to turn their season around. However, even after acquiring Dennis Schroeder from the Brooklyn Nets, the team has not changed their trajectory. Golden State now finds themselves 2-4 since Schroeder joined the team.
The Warriors find themselves in a tricky situation Cavalier fans can understand. Golden State is looking to maximize its talent around a generational star who deserves every move possible to make them as competitive as possible. Right now the Warriors have Steph Curry as their one try and true star. Then, it turns into prayers and best guesses for who can be the Robin to Curry’s Batman.
The lack of consistent play makes it hard to see the Warriors making a real run in the West unless they finally can pair Steph with an All-Star-level player to relieve some of the weight off Curry’s shoulders.
The Cavaliers are coming off their most impressive offensive showing this season. All members of the core four starters scored 20+ points and as a team scored 40 points in the first and second quarters. Mobley against the Nuggets showed one of his more diverse shooting portfolios in recent memory. He shot 4-6 from the perimeter which marks the second most three-point makes in his career.
Mobley’s continued offensive ascension is a boon for a Cavaliers offense already flying high. While Mobley doesn’t need to be a volume shooter from the perimeter, the floor spacing he can provide is huge for the Cavaliers and himself. More space means less congestion at the rim, which leads to more off-ball cutting and driving lanes for Mobley who has shown a repeated willingness to try and create his own looks off the dribble.
Mobley is looking to score 20+ points for the fourth consecutive game against the Warriors and the team is not aptly built to slow down Mobley whatsoever. He is no longer passive and has instead taken the responsibility of being an engine for the team. With the Cavaliers offense scoring in all facets Mobley has more room and is able to excel further than in past seasons as well.
