It figures to be a high-scoring affair as the Cleveland Cavaliers (38-14) travel to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder (40-14). The game gets underway at 3:30 pm ET on Sunday, Feb. 21 and can be seen on ABC.
The Thunder dismantled the Pelicans 121-95 in their last game. Russell Westbrook played a pivotal role, recording his 36th double-double this season with 23 points and 10 assists. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are coming off a 120-111 win over the Lakers in their last outing. Kyrie Irving led the game in scoring by accounting for 35 points on 15-for-24 shooting.
Over the last five games, Irving has been hot for the Cavaliers. During that stretch, he has averaged 28.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 1.0 steal, and 2.4 three-pointers.
It might turn into a shootout as a pair of the NBA’s top offenses match up. Oklahoma City ranks second in the league with 110.7 points per 100 possessions, while Cleveland is fourth in that metric (107.7). Also, the sweet-shooting offense of the Cavaliers ranks fifth in effective field goal percentage at 51.8%, while the Thunder are fifth-best in the league at forcing opponents’ misses (48.2%).
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Cavaliers winning the first matchup 104-100. LeBron James played a big role with 33 points and 11 assists.
The Thunder come into this game 40-15 Straight Up (SU) and 22-32-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 40-15 SU and 22-32-1 ATS versus the Eastern Conference.
On the other side, the Cavaliers head into the game with records of 23-28-2 ATS and 39-14 SU. In Western Conference games, Cleveland has gone 39-14 SU and 23-28-2 ATS. Offensively, the Cavaliers have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 102.9 points per game by averaging 115.6 during that stretch. The Cavaliers are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking fifth in the NBA at 1.75. Cleveland’s defense has allowed an average of 109.9 points per game during the last 10 games, higher than their season average of 96.9. Teams don’t seem to hit many three-pointers against the Cavaliers, who are fourth in the league in terms of three-point field goals allowed at 392 this season.
With the Cavaliers’ last win against Oklahoma City, the head-to-head record between these two is now an even 5-5 SU over the past 10 meetings. However, the Cavaliers hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cle
Notes
“Oklahoma City is 3-7-1 ATS in its last 11 games “.
“Oklahoma City is 14-3 SU in its last 17 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Oklahoma City’s last 6 games “.
“Oklahoma City is 7-2-1 ATS in its last 10 games at home”.
“Oklahoma City is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games at home”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Oklahoma City’s last 9 games at home”.
“Oklahoma City is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Cleveland”.
“Oklahoma City is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Cleveland”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Oklahoma City’s last 10 games when playing Cleveland”.
“Oklahoma City is 8-3 ATS in its last 11 games when playing at home against Cleveland”.
“Oklahoma City is 15-6 SU in its last 21 games when playing at home against Cleveland”.
Cleveland has allowed an average of 96.9 points per game this season. Oklahoma City averages 109.9 points per game, placing the team second in scoring.
Oklahoma City and Cleveland are well matched, ranking second in points per home game and points allowed per away game respectively. Oklahoma City puts up an average of 108.7 points per home game, while Cleveland allows 95.5 points per away game on average.
In its last game, Oklahoma City won by a 26-point margin. Cleveland is 8-2 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Oklahoma City has a 13-0 record in blowouts.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Cavaliers are 21-6 on the season. When the Thunder score fewer than 100, they are a poor 3-6.
The Cavaliers have a 17-8 record when they allow at least 100 points. The Thunder have also performed well when they register triple digits with a record of 37-8 in such contests.
The Cavaliers have the fourth-best offensive rating in the NBA (107.7). The Thunder are also in the top half of the league based on their defensive rating of 102.1 (ranked 10th).
The Oklahoma City Thunder have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking third in the league with a FG% of 47.6%. The Cleveland Cavaliers have a winning 10-5 record in games where opponents have a similar or higher FG%.
The Cleveland Cavaliers rank lower for their field goal percentage (ninth) than their effective field goal percentage (fifth), while the Oklahoma City Thunder rank the same for both metrics (third).
Oklahoma City makes an average of 22.4 assists per game (ranked 10th), while Cleveland makes 22.3 assists per game (ranked 12th).
The Oklahoma City Thunder average 6.4 blocks per game, the third-ranked team in the league. The Cleveland Cavaliers rank a lowly 29th in blocking with just 3.8 per game.
Oklahoma City ranks among the best in the league in offensive rebounding at second, while Cleveland is a top-10 team in defensive rebounding (ranked 10th).
The Oklahoma City Thunder make an average of 7.6 steals per game. When the Cleveland Cavaliers allow 7 or more steals, they are an outstanding 21-7.
