2018 NBA Finals Game 4 Betting Preview
The NBA season could come to a close Friday night as the Golden State Warriors carry a 3-0 series lead into Game 4 of the NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
It’s been all downhill in the series for Cleveland since J.R. Smith’s brain cramp at the end of regulation in Game 1 crushed the Cavaliers’ chances of stealing a victory on the road in the series opener.
Golden State took a stranglehold on the series with a 110-102 win in Game 3 as a 3.5-point road favorite at Bovada Sportsbook. Kevin Durant erupted for 43 points and added 13 rebounds and seven assists for the Warriors. Even a triple-double from LeBron James — 33 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists — wasn’t enough to get Cleveland its first win of the series.
The series remains in Cleveland for Game 4 and the Warriors are a 5-point road favorite at Bovada Sportsbook. Following their Game 3 win, Golden State has won five straight while going 4-1 against the spread, improving its road record in the postseason to 5-4 straight up and ATS.
Warriors going UNDER as road favorite
For the Cavaliers, obviously it was their third straight loss at 1-2 ATS. The loss also snapped their eight-game winning streak at home. Cleveland has been a home underdog five times this season (regular season and playoffs) and has gone 2-3 SU and ATS.
The Warriors have regularly been listed as a road favorite this season, including seven games in the postseason during which they are 4-3 SU and ATS. Overall this season Golden State has been listed as a road favorite 34 times, posting a 26-8 record SU and a 16-18 mark ATS.
Here’s one interesting trend that totals bettors may want to key in on. When listed as a road favorite, the Warriors have gone UNDER the posted total in six straight games.
Two years ago LeBron James and the Cavaliers crawled out of what looked to be an insurmountable hole when they came back from a 3-1 series deficit to upset the Warriors and win the championship. The prospects of coming back from 3-0 are even bleaker and the oddsmakers agree with updated series odds. The Warriors are -20000 series favorites, while the Cavaliers are at +5000 to win the series. Oh, by the way, no team in NBA history has trailed 3-0 and come back to win the series.