Golden State Warriors vs Cleveland Cavaliers Prediction: Warriors are sizzling at home

The NBA season is on and we have been peeking into some of the most exciting battles we have seen in a long time. This means that the landscape has been tricky to predict as multiple newly built squads have taken the league by surprise. Then there have been some highly rated teams faltering early on. One of those squads Golden State Warriors will take on the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Warriors come into this game after a lucky escape against the Sacramento Kings, winning 116:113 as wonder Guard Stephen Curry racked up an incredible 47 points. He kept the Warriors in the game after they had trailed for most of the game and after the Warriors avoided a foul call on a three-pointer by Kevin Huerter on the game buzzer. The lucky escape aspect has been rare for the Warriors this season, which has lost seven out of 11 games.

The Warriors have played some of the worst defense in the league and have given up 120+ points more times already than they did all of the last season. On the offensive end, they have been fine largely due to Stephen Curry who is having another MVP-styled season. Wing Andrew Wiggins has been getting it done as usual while Draymond Green continues to be the defensive anchor. The bench has been terrible with Jordan Poole having a disappointing season after posing a lot of promise. The Warriors may need to make some trades to bolster their chances.

The Cavaliers come into this game after suffering a 120:127 loss against the Sacramento Kings despite a 38 points outburst by Donovan Mitchell. This was the second loss in a row for the Cavs but they still hold a strong record with eight wins and three losses. In the last two games, their usual defense has been missing and seems like the road trip is taking a toll on them. They have won two out of four games on the road but their three games to close out the trip have been again tougher opponents than before.

Still, the team has been special and the acquisition of Donovan Mitchell has given the team an off-guard who can put the team on his back and put up big-time numbers. With Darius Garland running the Point and LeVert as the all-around Guard, the team fields a three-Guard rotation which is in contrast to last season, when they fielded two Forwards and two Centers in the lineup, thus the floor spacing and shot-creation have been miles ahead than last season. Jarrett Allen continues to be an impeccable inside player whereas Evan Mobley extends the defensive effort. The bench mostly rides upon Kevin Love as the team awaits the return of veteran guard Ricky Rubio.

• Warriors: OUT: Donte DiVincenzo, Andre Iguodala;
• Cavaliers: OUT: Dylan Windler, Ricky Rubio.

• Expected Leading Scorers: Stephen Curry(30+ Points), Donovan Mitchell(28-33 Points);
• Expected Leading Rebounders: Jarrett Allen(11-15 Rebounds);
• Expected Leading Playmakers: Darius Garland(7+ Assists)

The Cavaliers have had a much better start than the Warriors and they have looked more threatening on the defensive end if we minus the last two games. One concern for the Cavs lately has been the inability to close out games and with Curry, the Warriors are able to end the games on a high note. Klay Thompson has been off for the Warriors whereas Darius Garland has been struggling even more lately. But the leading scorers for both teams, Stephen Curry and Donovan Mitchell have been on fire.

It will be interesting to see how the Cavs respond when they are on a two-game losing streak and that too away from home as the Warriors are a brilliant team at home. A lot will depend upon secondary scoring options such as Garland and Thompson here. I believe this will be another intense battle and the Cavs can probably end their two-game losing streak here. The Points Range here can be 215-225.