Warriors vs Cavaliers Picks & Odds (Jan. 20)

• The Warriors vs Cavaliers odds favor Cleveland by 5.5 points on Friday evening
• Donovan Mitchell (groin) is questionable for the Cavs
• You can find the latest Warriors vs Cavaliers odds below, plus injury updates and predictions

The basketball world keeps waiting for the Golden State Warriors (22-22, 5-17 away) to turn things around. The championship hangover has lasted for more than half of the season already, with the majority of their struggles coming away from home.

Golden State entered play on Thursday night against Boston with the second worst road record in the league after Houston. Online sportsbooks are expecting the Warriors road woes to continue on Friday in Cleveland, as they pegged the home team as the chalk in the NBA odds.

Warriors vs Cavaliers Odds

Odds as of January 19 at Barstool. Claim the Barstool Sportsbook promo code to bet on the Warriors vs Cavaliers game.

The Cavaliers are currently 5.5-point favorites, in a contest without a total as of Thursday evening. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 pm ET at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, OH, a building where the Cavs are 19-4 at this season.

Warriors vs Cavaliers Betting Analysis

The Warriors haven’t just been bad on the road this season, they’ve been atrocious. They’ve dropped 17 of 22 outings overall as visitors, including eight of their last 11. None of their five road wins have been against a team with a winning record, and their advanced defensive splits at home and on the road are shocking.

As visitors, Golden State yields an average of 119 points per 100 possessions. Extrapolated over the entire season, regardless of venue, that works out to be worse than any other team in the league. The Warriors are by no means an excellent defense, but they actually post solid numbers at home. Golden State allows just 107 points per 100 possessions in their own building, which has helped them to a 17-5 home record.

Entering play on Thursday, the Warriors had dropped four of six and sat seventh in the Western Conference. Life won’t get any easier in Cleveland, as the Cavs are one of the best home teams in the NBA.

Cleveland boasts the highest home winning percentage in the East, and have won three straight at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. They’re just 3-4 in their last seven games overall, but all four losses came on the road.

Donovan Mitchell is questionable despite his groin injury for the #Cavs tomorrow night against the Golden State Warriors.

Dean Wade and Dylan Windler remain out. Everyone else is available.

— Evan Dammarell (@AmNotEvan) January 19, 2023

The big story for the Cavs ahead of Friday’s tilt is the health of Donovan Mitchell. Cleveland’s leading scorer sat out their game in Memphis on Wednesday due to a groin injury, and the team has struggled without him.

The Cavaliers are just 2-4 when Mitchell sits, averaging just 106.7 points in the last four instances. Mitchell is listed as questionable, but if can’t go expect a heavy workload for Darius Garland. The fourth year guard ranks fifth in the league in assists, and 30th in scoring. He led the Cavs with 24 points against the Grizzlies, and averages 25 a night without Mitchell.

Warriors vs Cavaliers Predictions

Golden State’s roads trouble are certainly not Steph Curry’s fault. The two-time winner in the NBA MVP odds, averages 30 points per game as a visitor, one more than when he plays at home. Jordan Poole is equally as efficient at home as he is one the road, but the same cannot be said for Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins.

The duo average three and five points fewer per game on the road than at home respectively. That may not seem like much, but on a team without a ton of bench depth, losing eight points per game is a big deal.

Golden State has covered in just 23.8% of their away tilts so far and is at a disadvantage rest-wise after playing on Thursday.

Warriors are 0-10 on the road against teams over .500 this season pic.twitter.com/CwmRaJDAuz

— 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧' 𝐍𝐁𝐀 (@_Talkin_NBA) January 20, 2023

Cleveland, meanwhile, is 15-7-1 against the spread at home this season. They’re beating the number by an average of three points per outing, and the fact that they are favored by 5.5-points is a strong indication that Mitchell will be back.

Mitchell has shown MVP caliber upside at times this season, and is the difference maker the Cavs need to compete for home court advantage in the playoffs. If word comes out that he’s playing, back Cleveland with confidence.

Pick: Cleveland Cavaliers -5.5 (-110)