Cleveland has lost three games in a row - including six of their last seven games - but made two big trades over the past week to bring in Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith, and Timofey Mozgov.
On the other hand, Golden State comes into tonight's game with the best record in basketball, and have won five straight games.
Projected Starting Lineups
Cleveland Cavaliers (19-17)
G Kyrie Irving – 21.0 ppg, 5.1 apg
G Matthew Dellavedova – 4.6 ppg, 3.4 apg
F Mike Miller – 3.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg
F Kevin Love – 17.7 ppg, 10.4 rpg
C Tristan Thompson– 9.7 ppg, 8.1 rpg
Golden State Warriors (28-5)
G Stephen Curry – 22.9 ppg, 8.0 apg
G Klay Thompson – 21.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg
F Harrison Barnes – 10.7 ppg, 6.5 rpg
F Draymond Green – 11.9 ppg, 8.3 rpg
C Andrew Bogut – 6.9 ppg, 9.2 rpg
What to watch for:
How will Cleveland deal with their injuries?
With LeBron James out for the next week and Shumpert expected to miss the next two weeks with a lingering shoulder injury (on top of starting center Anderson Varejao being out for the season with a torn Achilles), things are not looking good for the Cavs. Mozgov is expected to make his debut for Cleveland tonight, though he'll probably see limited minutes as he tries to adjust to a new team.
That being said, someone has to step up for the Cavs before their losing skid gets out of control. Kyrie Irving and/or Kevin Love are the obvious answers, but what they've done without LeBron hasn't been enough. They'll need to get a boost from an unexpected source to have a chance in this one.
Prediction: Warriors win 118-96
Golden State has their entire roster healthy for the first time this year, and they'll look to exploit the various mismatches they have because of the injuries Cleveland has suffered. Look for the Warriors to turn this into a blowout early and dominate from the opening tip.
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