Keagan Smith dives into his pick and prediction for the Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers matchup on Saturday as part of the seven-game NBA schedule.

The weekend has arrived alongside a seven-game NBA slate, bringing plenty of action on the hardwood throughout the evening. An inter-conference battle between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors creates some intrigue as these two sides work to find their form with both struggling compared to expectations thus far. With the quarter-way point of the campaign now past, these two sides are likely starting to feel the pressure building as both hold high hopes of competing deep into the postseason but haven’t quite meshes to look like true contenders.

Here’s a Warriors vs. Cavaliers prediction and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook for Saturday’s game.

Warriors vs. Cavaliers prediction, preview

Unfortunately for Golden State, the injury report is extensive today. Steph Curry remains out with a quad issue along with Al Horford (sciatica), but Jimmy Butler (knee), Draymond Green (midfoot), De’Anthony Melton (knee) and Seth Curry (toe) are all questionable to play. The Warriors are just 2-5 without Steph this season due to a notable lack of offense, averaging just over 106.3 PPG which would rank dead-last in the NBA. If active, Butler will carry the load and has been mostly effective as a play-driver with 19.5 PPG, 5.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists, but someone else must step up.

Jonathan Kuminga has been the third option when available with 12.9 PPG and 6.3 rebounds, but a handful of guards and wings can also make an impact. Brandin Podziemski averages 12.3 PPG while Moses Moody pitches in 11.8, and Melton made his first appearance since early in the 2024-25 campaign after rehabbing an injury with 14 points. The Warriors will need a combination of these guys to rise to the occasion, but the defense will prove the difference-maker as Golden State ranks sixth in opponent points allowed and eighth in DRTG. As long as the questionable tags suit up, this team should deploy that strong defense to at least keep this outing competitive.

Looking toward the Cavaliers, they’re 14-10 on the campaign but sit just eighth in the Eastern Conference standings. After dominating opponents last season, Cleveland’s regressed some to 11th in NETRTG at +3.4, though this is still a very good team at both ends. The Cavs average the seventh-most points with the ninth-best OFFRTG due in no small part to a gargantuan effort from Donovan Mitchell, who averages 30.6 PPG along with 5.6 assists. The multi-time All-Star is in the midst of a career-best campaign as he shoulders a massive load on a nightly basis, but efficient shooting of 50.7% from the field and a career-high 3.9 3PM a game. The Cavs will miss some of their guard depth behind him though with Sam Merrill (hand), Lonzo Ball (injury management) and Tyrese Proctor (personal) all ruled out for today. Thankfully, Darius Garland is healthy and in tonight, providing 13.6 PPG and 6.5 assists as Mitchell’s backcourt mate.

Cleveland has plenty of other talent though. The defense is respectable at 12th in opponent scoring thanks to a standout frontcourt of De’Andre Hunter and Evan Mobley, though Jarrett Allen is out with a finger strain and leaves the unit without its best paint presence. Still, Mobley is quite capable as a switchable big with 9.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks and pulls his weight on offense as well with 19.0 PPG, while Hunter pitches in 16.5 PPG as well.

Warriors vs. Cavaliers pick, best bet

DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Cavaliers as -7.5 favorites at home tonight with -310 odds on the Moneyline. The Warriors are +250 underdogs to win outright with the game total set at 230.5. As for betting splits, 82% of straight bets are on Cleveland to win outright.

With the status of what feels like half of each roster in question, the injuries will undoubtedly play a key role tonight. However, even if everyone’s healthy, the Cavaliers still have much more talent at the top than their opponent. Mitchell’s playing at what’s arguably close to MVP-caliber basketball, while Mobley is clearly an All-Star and even Hunter posts better numbers than most of the Warriors’ roster. The lack of guard depth behind the starters does feel slightly concerning, but Cleveland is still a very good team on both ends and can certainly put up plenty of points. That’s simply not true for Golden State without Curry in the lineup, and while Butler can carry some of the load himself, asking the rest of that rotation to elevate their play is quite the ask. The Warriors’ offense without its superstar is largely hapless, and if Green misses this game due to his own injury, a typically strong defense takes a major hit as well.

All things considered, this game may not even be close. I’m very comfortable taking the Cavs to cover.

Top pick: CLE Cavaliers -7.5 (-112)