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Who doesn't love some inter-conference action? The Western Conference will clash with one out east as the Oklahoma City Thunder make the business trip to “Believeland” to take on the surging Cleveland Cavaliers. Join us for our NBA odds series where our Thunder-Cavaliers prediction and pick will be made.
With a much more impressive 15-10 record ATS than what their 11-14 regular season mark suggests, there is no question that the Thunder have shown some improvement through the first 25 games of the season in comparison to a year ago. In fact, OKC had even embarked on a gritty three-game winning streak against some respectable teams before being defeated by the Grizzlies on the road 123-101. Despite the slight hiccup, the Thunder are not to be overlooked this season!
When it comes to consistent teams throughout the NBA during the opening quarter of regular season games so far this year, the Cleveland Cavaliers automatically come to mind. Oftentimes, it is hard to point out one singular player responsible for an entire team's success, but that happens to be the exact case for the Cavs and their go-to man in Donovan Mitchell. However, with Mitchell sitting this one out due to a lower leg injury, other Cleveland playmakers will need to step up.
Here are the Thunder-Cavaliers NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Thunder-Cavaliers Odds
Oklahoma City Thunder: +4.5 (-110)
Cleveland Cavaliers: -4.5 (-110)
Over: 219 (-110)
Under: 219 (-110)
Why The Thunder Could Cover The Spread
On paper, one of the biggest advantages that the Thunder should have coming into play will be possessing the best player on the court in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Not only will Oklahoma City be able to exploit Cleveland's weaknesses with Mitchell out of the lineup, but even if the Cavalier's top threat was suiting up for play, Gilgeous-Alexander would still be giving Cleveland fits. With a whopping average of 31.1 PPG which is currently the third-highest mark in all of the NBA.
Even more so, the former first-round pick out of Kentucky back in 2018 is fresh off a poorer shooting night than normal in the loss to the Grizzlies in which he shot 28% from the floor after maintaining a 50% shooting percentage as a whole. It is quite rare to see Gilgeous-Alexander have off nights in back-to-back games, so be on the lookout for him to go into full takeover mode ahead of this one.
In addition, the one thing that the Thunder really excel in is their ability to consistently out-rebound the opposition. As it stands, Oklahoma City averages roughly 45 rebounds per contest and will need to eliminate any second-chance opportunities that the Cavs come up with.
Most importantly, can Tre Mann snap out of his funk that has been plaguing him recently? No question, Mann is as talented as it gets, but he is only averaging 6.8 points per game since returning to the lineup from injury. Before the setback, Mann was dropping 13.1 points per contest while shooting 33% from downtown. Simply put, OKC needs Mann to return to form as Gilgeous-Alexander cannot do it all himself.
Why The Cavaliers Could Cover The Spread
While things could change in the moments leading to tip-off regarding Donovan Mitchell's status, Cleveland at the moment will be without their top do-it-all star. Unfortunately, Mitchell isn't the only one that has missed some time due to load management or injury-related absences, as Kevin Love also was sidelined due to lower back tightness. Even though the injury bug has clearly reared its ugly head in Cleveland, the Cavaliers still have a tremendous opportunity to cover the spread in front of their home fans.
After losing to the Kings 106-95, it became quite evident that Cleveland was quite careless with the basketball. At the conclusion of the loss, the Cavs committed 20 turnovers and could not get into a proper rhythm whatsoever. For a team that averages less than 14 turnovers per game, being smart with the basketball will be priority number one in tonight's matchup.
The most important aspect for Cleveland to grasp an advantage in will be the pick-and-roll game between Darius Garland and Evan Mobley. With the duo serving as the next highest leading scorers with Mitchell sidelined, the two young but skilled ballers definitely can take over this game if given the chance. At times, the Cavaliers have looked lost without their All-Star on the floor, but fear not Cavs bettors; Cleveland can punch their ticket to a spread-covering victory if they can receive solid contributions from the rest of the squad.
Final Thunder-Cavaliers Prediction & Pick
On paper, it is hard to argue against the fact that the Cavaliers are the more well-rounded squad, but will multiple Cleveland stars sitting out this one, Oklahoma City has the perfect opportunity to cover the spread.
Final Thunder-Cavaliers Prediction & Pick: Thunder +4.5 (-110)
