Cavaliers look for fifth straight, sans Shaq
The Cleveland Cavaliers will likely be without Shaquille O’Neal when they try for their fifth-straight win against the high-scoring Golden State Warriors on Tuesday (7 pm ET, FOX, CSN).
The team is being very tight-lipped about the shoulder injury suffered by the star center, who is listed as day-to-day.
O’Neal, 37, was scratched from the lineup just minutes before Saturday’s 107-103 win against the Utah Jazz. Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said if O’Neal is unable to play Tuesday, Zydrunas Ilgauskas likely would start at center.
The Cavaliers won’t even say which shoulder is injured, let alone when the injury occurred.
“We’re not defining it anymore than just a shoulder strain,” team spokesman Tad Carper said.
O’Neal appeared in 75 games last season for the Phoenix Suns, his most since the 1999-00 season in Los Angeles.
He started in Cleveland’s two games last week, against the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat, picking up 10 points and grabbing four rebounds in the 102-93 win against the Magic.
Cleveland is 7-3 SU and 6-4 ATS in the past 10 meetings with the Warriors. The teams last met on Jan. 23 last season, when the Cavs edged the Warriors 106-105 as a 6-point road dog.
The score was more one-sided when the teams last squared off in Cleveland. The Cavaliers won 112-97 on Nov. 28 last season, covering the 11.5-point spread.
Going back further, Cleveland is a solid 13-3 SU and ATS in the past 16 meetings.
Check out NBA Odds for this game at Legends.
Tags: Basketball Betting, Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, NBA, NBA Betting, NBA Odds, Shaquille O'Neal
