The Golden State Warriors have hit a couple of speed bumps lately, and it may be bad timing for that as they cruise into Quicken Loans Arena for a Monday date with the team they defeated in last year’s NBA Finals. While the Warriors have lost two of their last three, which for this 37-4 team constitutes a slump, the Cleveland Cavaliers have won nine of their last ten and have a bigger cushion in the their conference (the East) than the Warriors have in theirs. Game time at The Q is 8:05 PM ET, and even after the opening tip, BetAnySports patrons have their opportunity to stay involved as they challenge the NBA basketball betting odds in real time through the phenomenon of Live Betting Extra.

Despite their record-breaking start, when they won their first 24 games, the Warriors find themselves in a position where they have a team breathing down their necks. The San Antonio Spurs, who were the only team to beat the Cavs on Cleveland’s recent road trip, are just a game and a half off the pace in the West. And after a 113-95 loss in Detroit where they shot just 36%, the Warriors have to consider this to a critical game. As the cliche goes, there will be a “playoff atmosphere” in the air.

It was the same way in Oakland on Christmas Day, as Golden State won an 89-83 decision in a game where nobody shot very well. The Cavaliers went just 31.6% from the field, including only five of 30 from beyond the three-point line. They missed a lot of uncontested shots from other areas of the floor as well. LeBron James was 10 of 26, and Kyrie Irving, who was in his third game back after returning from the fractured kneecap that sidelined him in June’s NBA Finals., shot four of 15. On the other side, Stephen Curry, last year’s MVP, was off the mark as well, with 19 points on six of 15 fro the floor, as he dealt with a bruised shin.

In the reduced juice NBA basketball betting odds posted on this game by the folks at BetAnySports, the Cavs are favorites:

Cleveland Cavaliers -3 (-102)

Golden State Warriors +3 (-108)

Over 209.5 points -107

Under 209.5 points -103

Of course, Cleveland was missing both Irving and Kevin Love in the Finals, as they had to get super-human efforts from James to try and stay alive. That happened early, as they took a 2-1 lead, but then they lost the next three. Love is back, and he is averaging 10.8 rebounds per game. His bulky teammate, Tristan Thompson, is eighth in the league in offensive rebound percentage and 3rd in Offensive Rating. Irving has scored 61 points in his last three games, and LeBron has tallied 25.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.1 assist per contest. The Cavs have played at a relatively slow pace; their opponents have averaged just 81 shot attempts, and that is the fewest in the NBA.

BetAnySports customers saw that Curry got out on a pace that seemed likely to land him a second-straight MVP. Injuries have slowed him at times, but he is still averaging 29.9 points, and shooting 50.7% from the field. He has made 186 three-pointers, which are 61 more than the next man on the NBA list – teammate Klay Thompson. And if you want to talk about versatility, Draymond Green has that award hands down. Aside from his 14.7 ppg average, Green is pulling down 9.6 rebounds and handing out 7.3 assists per game. He is the only forward among the top fourteen assist-makers in the NBA (LeBron is 15th).

Cleveland has gone 15-1 straight-up at the Quicken Loans Arena this season (but only 8-8 against the basketball pointspread). Meanwhile, the Warriors have held up their end on the road pretty good, with a 14-7 ATS mark. They are doing it at both ends of the floor again, leading the league in shooting percentage and holding opponents to the third lowest accuracy rate in the NBA.

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