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Warriors vs. Cavaliers: 2016 NBA Finals Game 3 Predictions, start time, TV schedule, live stream, odds and more

The Golden State Warriors are two wins shy of their second consecutive NBA championship.

By AndrewFlohr
David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
NBA Finals | Game 3 | GS Leads 2-0
Golden State Warriors
87-14
(56-42-3 ATS, 52-48-1 O/U)
 vs
Cleveland Cavaliers
69-29
(54-42-3 ATS, 46-50-2 O/U)
How To Watch
Wednesday, June 8th, 2016.
Quicken Loans Arena - Cleveland, OH.
6:00 p.m. PST
ABC | KGO 810 - KNBR 1050 | WatchESPN
Blog Buddy: Fear The Sword
Point Spread
Golden State +1.5
 ★ Cleveland -1.5
Money Line
Golden State +100 ★ Cleveland -120
Over/Under Total

205 Total Points
Odds via BetOnline

★★★

As the series shifts to Cleveland, oddsmakers are giving LeBron James and his Cavaliers the slightest edge to win game 3 of the 2016 NBA Finals.

However don't let home court fool you as the Warriors have won games 1 and 2 by a combined 48 points, an NBA record. A win in game 3 for the Dubs would break the NBA record for total wins in a season. The 1995-96 Chicago Bulls currently share the record with these Warriors at 87 wins.

Marc Stein of ESPN reports that Cavs forward Kevin Love will not be medically cleared for game 3. Richard Jefferson is expected to start in a small lineup that features center Timofey Mozgov in a larger role off the bench.

Golden State is 0-3 in game 3s on the road this post season, losing in Houston, Portland and Oklahoma City. The line for game 3 tonight is essentially a pick 'em, which favors a Golden State squad that has won seven straight games against the Cavs, three of which were played in Cleveland. The Warriors are 6-1 ATS in their last seven against Cleveland according to OddsShark.com.

As the Warriors defense continues to suffocate the Cavs' offense, the UNDER has been a smart bet in the first two games. We turn to VegasInsider.com totals expert Chris David who believes this trend will continue in Cleveland:

"I still believe the value is with the ‘under' and I'm very surprised the total isn't lower. These teams have now played 10 times over the last two seasons and the ‘under' has gone 6-3-1 in those games.

It's become very apparent that Cleveland doesn't have the scheme or manpower to score on Golden State and believing that will change at home probably could be wishful thinking. Even though the Warriors have surrendered 112.5 PPG on the road in this year's playoffs, the Cavs haven't proven they could come close to those numbers for this particular matchup.

Cleveland is averaging 90.7 PPG in its last 10 against Golden State, which includes the 89 and 77-point effort in this series. I'm well aware that Cleveland has played better at home in the playoffs, especially offensively (111 PPG) but the overused cliché of 'styles makes fights' fits perfectly in this series.

In last year's finals, the totals ranged from 193 ½ to 203 ½ and I'm not sure why we aren't seeing similar numbers this summer. With all that being said, I'm buying the ‘under' in Game 3 (206 ½) and I would also lean to Golden State's team total ‘under' of 103 ½.


★★★

ICYMI: Watch the Warriors throttle the Cavs in game 2 of the NBA Finals by 33 points:



★★★


★★★

The race for the 2016 NBA Finals MVP is still wide open after a well rounded team effort from Golden State in games 1 and 2. Here are the current odds for Finals MVP according to SportsBook.ag:

Draymond Green - (-140)
Stephen Curry - (+200)
LeBron James - (+700)
Andre Iguodala - (+800)
Klay Thompson - (+800)
Kyrie Irving - (+2500)
Shaun Livingston - (+3500)

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