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How to watch Cavaliers vs. Warriors

  • Date: Monday, Dec. 25 (Christmas Day)
  • Time: 3 p.m. ET
  • Where: Oracle Arena in Oakland, California
  • TV: ABC
  • Streaming: WatchESPN (requires subscriber login)
  • Follow: GameTracker

Odds and analysis

Odds: Check Sportsline's NBA pick sheet for all your daily odds.

Analysis: The NBA's Christmas Day main event lost a little bit of its luster when it was announced that neither Stephen Curry nor Isaiah Thomas will play due to injury, but even without them the game isn't lacking for star power. LeBron James and Kevin Durant are both playing arguably the best basketball of their incredible careers as the Warriors and Cavaliers prepare to meet for the third straight year on Christmas.

After starting the season 5-7, the Cavs won 19 of their next 21 games to re-assert themselves as a title contender. That's largely due to James, who's putting up career-high field goal and 3-point percentages while nearly averaging a triple-double. On the other side you have the Warriors, who have continued to win despite their star players missing a lot of time over the past month. Whether it's Quinn Cook, Jordan Bell or Kevon Looney filling in, Golden State just keeps producing win after win. Durant has picked up the scoring slack, averaging over 30 points per game since Curry injured his ankle in early December.

The Warriors and Cavs have split the last two Christmas Day meetings, with each team winning at home, so the Warriors will have the slight advantage in this one. Expect a big game from LeBron, but Kevin Love has struggled against Golden State in the Finals the last two years (he was injured in 2015). Without Thomas, the Cavs might not have enough firepower to keep up with the Warriors' relentless attack.