The Oklahoma City Thunder continues the 4-game road trip on Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, with a matinee matchup in Cleveland against the Cavaliers. The Thunder is fresh off a tough 122-120 loss in Miami against the Heat on Saturday, while the Cavs are coming off two days of rest after a narrow 117-115 win in Philadelphia against the 76ers.
In Saturday’s game, Jalen Williams took an early exit due to a strained hamstring, and he will likely miss some significant time. It felt like Williams was on the brink of turning the corner of success since returning from an extended time out due to his offseason wrist surgery. The Thunder is also patiently awaiting the return of Isaiah Hartenstein, who would be nice to have against a team like the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Cavs have a solid duo down low in Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, and if OKC struggles to rebound against them as they did against the Heat, it could make for a long night. Donovan Mitchell is a great playmaker for Cleveland’s backcourt, but he has struggled with inconsistency, particularly in clutch moments, an area where Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has excelled.
Cleveland is dealing with some key injuries itself, which is likely why the Thunder is decently favored in this one. Still, it’s probably going to take a decent amount of help from the bench, an area where OKC has been particularly stellar lately, to push the Thunder over the edge on the road. That’s easier said than done, though, as the Cavs have a solid crew coming off the bench as well. The stars are likely to shine, but expect this one to come down to whoever can rely on their depth.
Tip-Off: 1:30 PM CT
Location: Rocket Arena (Cleveland, Ohio)
Television: NBC/Peacock
Radio: WWLS 98.1FM OKC The Sports Animal
Twitter: Follow @ZacharyLowNBA for live tweets and discussion during the game
Game Notes: Oklahoma City Thunder Official Game Notes, Cleveland Cavaliers Official Game Notes
Projected Starters
Thunder
- PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- SG: Cason Wallace
- SF: Luguentz Dort
- PF: Aaron Wiggins
- C: Chet Holmgren
Cavaliers
- PG: Donovan Mitchell
- SG: Jaylon Tyson
- SF: Dean Wade
- PF: Evan Mobley
- C: Jarrett Allen
Injury Report
Thunder
- Brooks Barnhizer (G League — two-way) is OUT.
- Isaiah Hartenstein (strained left soleus) is OUT.
- Thomas Sorber (right ACL surgical recovery) is OUT.
- Nikola Topic (surgical recovery) is OUT.
- Jalen Williams (strained right hamstring) is OUT.
Cavaliers
- Darius Garland (sprained right great big toe) is OUT.
- Chris Livingston (G League — two-way) is OUT.
- Sam Merrill (sprained right hand) is OUT.
- Max Strus (Jones fracture, left foot surgery) is OUT.
- Luke Travers (G League — two-way) is OUT.
- Dean Wade (left knee contusion) is AVAILABLE.
Head-to-Head
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder is 16-16 against the Cavs (9-8 at home, 7-8 on the road).
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder has won the season series against the Cavs 4 times, lost 5 times, and tied 8 times.
- Last season, the Thunder tied the season series with the Cavs 1-1 (1-0 at home, 0-1 on the road).