It’s LeBron James vs. Kevin Durant inside the Quicken Loans Arena later tonight, as the Cleveland Cavaliers host the Oklahoma City Thunder. This game is more than just the meeting between those two hardcourt demigods, though. For one, there are the likes of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love both looking to show why they’re presence make their respective team a top contender for the NBA championship this season.
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Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Betting Preview
Where: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland
When: Thursday, December 17, 2015, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Cleveland Cavaliers – view all NBA lines
TV Broadcast: TNT
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Ah, the rolling Thunder. Oklahoma City kept their streak alive on Wednesday, handily defeating Portland at home, 106-90. That’s OKC’s sixth-straight win, a streak it hopes to continue against the Cavs on the road. The Thunder are 3-2 SU and ATS in their last five games away from Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Kevin Durant led the way for OKC, as he scored 24 points and added seven rebounds and four assists.
The Thunder also managed to put away Portland despite a relatively silent night for Russell Westbrook, who chipped in just 13 points on a salty 5-for-15 night from the field. He’ll have to find his touch later tonight, as they go up against the Cavs’ sturdy defense.
In the Portland game, Westbrook was 0-for-3 from the three-point area, where the Thunder hasn’t really shot well this season. They’re making just 36 percent of their three-point attempts on the season, made worse by OKC’s 2-for-14 line against the Blazers.
The Thunder, however, make up for it by dominating inside, as they are fourth in the league with 45.1 points in the paint per game. The Thunder may flex their muscle inside again tonight after scoring 48 paint points against Portland. For one, Cleveland doesn’t have good rim protection, averaging just 3.9 blocks per game.
Durant leads the team with 27.3 points per game, while Westbrook is averaging 25.6.
With LeBron James having his way against the Celtics and Cleveland’s defense proving to be too tight for Boston, the Cavaliers extended their win streak to three games with an 89-77 victory in TD Garden on Tuesday.
It was business as usual for King James, who stuffed the stat sheet with 24 points, seven rebounds, and three assists, and two steals. James have shown no slowing down in his 12th season in the league, in which the four-time MVP is averaging 26.3 points 7.6 rebounds, and 6.3 assists. He could be given the Kevin Durant treatment on defense later tonight, but Durant and his long limbs alone can’t stop James from finding open teammates. James is surrounded with the likes of Kevin Love, Mo Williams, and J.R. Smith, who can all stretch the floor with their outside sniping. So far this season, Cleveland is fifth in the NBA with 9.9 threes per game.
Love (17.9 PPG, 10.9 RPG) recovered from an underwhelming eight-point game, albeit in a 111-76 win over Orlando last Friday by dropping 20 points on 7-for-16 shooting against Boston. Tristan Thompson, meanwhile, could play a critical role tonight in keeping OKC’s big men in check beneath the glass. Thompson’s not much of a scorer, averaging 6.7 PPG, but is second on the team behind Love in rebounding with 9.7 boards per contest.
Cleveland’s defense will be put to the test by the Thunder, who are second in the league in scoring with 107.6 PPG. On the season, the Cavs are allowing just 95.8 PPG.
Cleveland is 4-1 ATS in its last five games against the Thunder.
