The Cleveland Cavaliers, riding a seven-game win streak, face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday in a potential playoff preview. Oklahoma City, the Western Conference leaders, will be without key players Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams due to injuries. The matchup tips off at 1 p.m. ET at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.
The Cleveland Cavaliers (36-21) enter their game against the Oklahoma City Thunder (43-14) as third in the Eastern Conference, having surpassed the New York Knicks with a recent surge. Cleveland has won seven straight, including a 118-113 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday, where Donovan Mitchell scored 32 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter. James Harden, acquired at the trade deadline, contributed 18 points and eight assists in that game.
Oklahoma City holds the league's best record and aims for its fourth win in five games. The Thunder defeated the Brooklyn Nets 105-86 in their last outing, with rookie Jared McCain, recently traded from the Philadelphia 76ers, leading with a season-high 21 points. However, OKC will miss All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, sidelined by an abdominal strain until February 27, and Jalen Williams, out with a hamstring injury until March 7.
This is the second meeting of the season. On January 19 in Cleveland, Oklahoma City dominated with a 136-104 win, led by Gilgeous-Alexander's 30 points and Chet Holmgren's 28. The Thunder shot 56% from the field and held the Cavaliers to 37% shooting and 23% from three-point range.
Betting odds list Cleveland as a slight road favorite, with spreads reported between 1.5 and 4.5 points and an over/under of 226.5 points. The game airs on ABC and streams on Fubo, marking the start of a Sunday doubleheader.
