The Oklahoma City Thunder (5-2) ended a two-game skid on Monday with a road win over the Cleveland Cavaliers (4-3). Now the teams meet again, but this time in OKC.
The Thunder have yet to find their groove with so many missing players, but Monday’s outing felt like they got a little closer. Shots still aren’t falling at quite the rate you would like to see, and the defense struggled at times in the second half as Cleveland made a barrage of threes. Still, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander popped off for 43 points—even if it was on 14-of-35 (40%) shooting—and the defense did enough to get the stops necessary down the stretch.
Tonight’s matchup could look similar, as not much has changed since Monday, except Alex Caruso is back from a sprained ankle. Caruso’s effect on both ends of the floor—not to mention his role as a leader—is an extremely valuable commodity that will be incredibly helpful. Unfortunately, Jaylin Williams may have to miss tonight with lower back spasms, but it sure is nice to be back at home.
It’s been a little over a week since the Thunder played at the Paycom Center, so you can bet on the fans showing up and being loud. OKC could definitely use the home-court advantage, but hopefully they continue their trend in a positive direction and keep figuring out how to manage the game without a handful of key guys.
Game Details
Tip-Off: 7 PM CT
Location: Paycom Center (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
Television: Thunder+, KSBI-52 in OKC
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: Jared McCain
- SF: Ajay Mitchell
- PF: Kenrich Williams
- C: Isaiah Hartenstein
Cavaliers
- PG: James Harden
- SG: Donovan Mitchell
- SF: Meleek Thomas
- PF: Evan Mobley
- C: Jarrett Allen
Injury Report
Thunder
- Chet Holmgren (right knee patellar tendinitis) is OUT.
- Thomas Sorber (right knee surgery) is OUT.
- Nikola Topic (low back surgery) is OUT.
- Cason Wallace (left shoulder labral tear) is OUT.
- Jalen Williams (left ankle fracture) is OUT.
- Jaylin Williams (lower back spasms) is QUESTIONABLE
Cavaliers
- Khalifa Diop (G League — on assignment) is OUT.
- Nae’Qwan Tomlin (lower back stress reaction) is OUT.
- Jaylon Tyson (sprained right ankle) is OUT.
- Ernest Udeh Jr. (G League — two-way) is OUT.
- Peyton Watson (right hamstring tightness/soreness) is OUT.
Head-to-Head
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder are 19-16 against the Cavs (10-8 at home, 9-8 on the road).
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder have won the season series against the Cavs 5 times, lost 5 times, and tied 8 times.
- Last season, the Thunder won the season series with the Cavs 2-0 (1-0 at home, 1-0 on the road).
- The Thunder are 1-0 against the Cavs so far this season (0-0 at home, 1-0 on the road).