Oklahoma City erupted for 37 points in the opening quarter, survived Cleveland’s second-half push, and leaned on another superstar performance from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to improve to 6-2. Ajay Mitchell and Bennett Stirtz delivered the supporting production that made the win possible.
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.
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OKC beat Cleveland 117-112 on Monday, but I’m not sure how much that matters for tonight. The matchup will be extremely similar, except OKC has Alex Caruso back from injury, and Jaylin Williams might be out with some lower back spasms. Oh, and the Thunder have Loud City at their backs. I didn’t think the Thunder would beat the Cavs in Cleveland on Monday, but I definitely think OKC gets the win tonight and covers the spread.
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A lot can change in a week. After a 4-0 start to the season, the Oklahoma City Thunder are now 4-2, dropping 2 of 3 games since losing Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace to injury last Sunday. Since then, Chet Holmgren and Alex Caruso have been added to the list of extended time missed, and OKC has yet to figure things out.
View More Oklahoma City Thunder | Game #7 Preview: Cleveland Cavaliers
OKC has looked pretty awful the last couple of games, and it might be a little while before they find a groove. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hasn’t looked particularly great, either, and this team is going to go as far as he can take them. I think SGA starts to impose his will more often, but the Cavaliers look a lot better than the Thunder right now. I think OKC can keep this one interesting and hopefully not get blown out for the third straight time, but I still like Cleveland to cover the small spread.
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