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The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers will renew their recent rivalry Thursday, although the Cavs don’t quite have the same team that met the Warriors in four consecutive Finals. Cleveland is in the late stages of their rebuild and their young core is looking to make some noise in the East, while the Warriors appear destined to represent the Western conference in this season’s NBA Finals.
If you aren’t around a TV to check out this NBA matchup, you can stream the game on NBA League Pass or via their mobile app. If you are in a local market, you can watch the game on NBC Sports Bay Area in Golden State and Bally Sports Ohio in Cleveland. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
The Warriors are coming off a massive victory over the Nets Wednesday. Stephen Curry is the MVP favorite at the moment and had a monster game against Brooklyn. He’ll hope to take advantage against Cleveland’s defense, which is one of the best in the league when it comes to opponent points per game. Golden State’s role players will have to click for the Warriors to exploit the Cavaliers.
Cleveland will be without Rookie of the Year frontrunner Evan Mobley and guard Collin Sexton, but Darius Garland remains a potent player as he continues to build on his impressive sophomore season. The Cavs are not at 100 percent and are still holding their own in the middle of the East playoff picture at the moment. This team can be happy about where it is headed this year, and a matchup with the Warriors is a nice barometer for the Cavs.