Cavs vs Thunder: Odds, preview, prediction and TV channel

Jarrett Allen, Cleveland Cavaliers. Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images
Jarrett Allen, Cleveland Cavaliers. Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers got rocked their last time in action, losing Wednesday night to the Chicago Bulls. Even so the enthusiasm of their season cannot be dimmed; the Cavs are 8 games above .500 and in real contention for home-court advantage or even the top overall seed.

Even more impressive than their record or net rating alone is that they have played the league’s fourth-toughest schedule thus far. From here, it’s the easiest schedule in the league for the Cavs — and that starts Saturday night with a home contest against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Cavs host the Oklahoma City Thunder night after a brief rest. What do you need to know about who is playing and how to bet?

The Thunder are blatantly angling for a top pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, but even so they have put together a few surprising wins — both keeping them out of the true basement of the NBA, and proving the talent of some of their young players. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a budding star, but rookies Josh Giddey, Aaron Wiggins and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl have all been better than expected thus far.

Great teams all around the league have been struggling with rebuilding squads; the Golden State Warriors lost to the Indiana Pacers and nearly lost to the Houston Rockets this week, while those Rockets beat the Utah Jazz and the Detroit Pistons beat the Toronto Raptors. Should the Cavs be worried about a letdown game against the Thunder?

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Thunder: Odds, spread, over/under

The Cavaliers (27-19) will host the Thunder (14-31) tonight. According to our partners over at WynnBet, the Cavs are favored by 12 points. The over/under is set to 209.5.

After a grueling stretch of games, the Cavs finally got a day off, last playing on Wednesday night. The Thunder are on a busy road trip of their own and were beat down by the Hornets in Charlotte on Friday night, flying to Cleveland for the back-to-back matchup.

Cavs vs Thunder: Projected starting lineups, injury report

Thunder starters: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Aaron Wiggins, Josh Giddey, Lugentz Dort, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl

Cavs starters: Darius Garland, Isaac Okoro, Lauri Markkanen, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen

The Thunder’s key injuries: Vit Krejci (out, ankle)

The Cavaliers’ key injuries: Collin Sexton (out for season, knee); Ricky Rubio (out for season, knee); Rajon Rondo (questionable, hamstring); Lamar Stevens (probable, knee)

Cavs vs Thunder: Prediction

The Oklahoma City Thunder are one of the few teams in the league that are truly healthy, although whether that helps or hurts their competitiveness is unclear. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs Darius Garland is a worthy point guard showdown; SGA made his leap a season ago, while Garland has stepped into the All-Star conversation as of this season.

Lu Dort and Isaac Okoro are intriguing versions of a similar player archetype, wing defenders with inconsistent offensive punches. Both teams have floor-spacing bigs coming off the bench and providing high-impact minutes; Kevin Love is having a rejuvenated season, while the Thunder’s Mike Muscala has looked incredible in on/off numbers given the extremely young players he replaces.

The gigantic gulf between these two teams comes with the starting frontcourt, where the Thunder alternate between a variety of young, raw options and the Cavs have two All-Defense candidates in Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, not to mention Lauri Markkanen at the 3. The Thunder might be the one tanking team excited to address a big man spot in the big-loaded 2022 NBA Draft.

It is that front line that suggests the Thunder will completely grind to a halt on offense. The Thunder shoot just 31 percent from deep as a team, last in the league. To generate offense they need to get to the rim, and there won’t be any realistic paths to get there against the Cavs. Even if a stretch-big like Robinson-Earl or Muscala pulls one of Allen or Mobley out, the other will be there to wall off the paint.

Defensively the Thunder are actually middle of the pack, and they have the defenders to slow Garland to some extent, but their complete lack of rim protection will result in plenty of opportunities for Allen, Love and Mobley inside. This game could certainly fluctuate off the obvious, but the most likely outcome is a one-sided affair where the Thunder can’t score and get pummeled inside. Especially coming off of a back-to-back, this looks like the Cavs’ game to lose.

Prediction: Cavaliers 104, Thunder 89

The Bet: Cavs (-12), UNDER

Cavs vs Thunder: Where to Watch

The Cleveland Cavaliers play any number of games this season against high-profile, star-led teams. Given the Cavs’ strong start and ascent towards the top of the standings they have multiple showdowns with East contenders that will impact the playoffs. Those games are on League Pass. Instead, it’s the game against the tanking Thunder that is on NBA TV, although Bally Sports Ohio will carry the game as well. Tip-off is at 8:00pm ET.

Cleveland Cavaliers Upcoming Schedule

Play continues for the Cavs on Monday night when the struggling New York Knicks come to town. The Knicks were the No. 4 seed a season ago but currently sit in 11th, two games under .500. The Cavs have taken their spot, and they will look to prove it anew on Monday.

From there one more home game awaits on this three-game homestand: the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night. If the Cavs want to establish themselves as a legitimate playoff contender they have to prove it against the rest of the East’s best. They notched a win over the Nets on Monday and lost to the Bulls on Wednesday; how do they far against the Bucks next week?