NBA Preview: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

A look at the potential NBA Finals matchup is coming up soon when the Cleveland Cavaliers (34-5) take on the Oklahoma City Thunder (33-6) on Thursday, January 16 at 7:30 PM ET at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Thunder are favored at home with a -2.5 (-110) point spread (MyBookie).

Cleveland Cavaliers Betting Preview

The Cavaliers are back on the winning side after  back-to-back battles against the Indiana Pacers, losing the first but powering through for victory on the second. Their recent performance was a 127-117 outing, where they covered the 8.5-point spread.

Donovan Mitchell led with 35 points on 52 percent shooting. Darius Garland was next in line for scoring at 24 points, while Evan Mobley had a nice double-double with 22 points and 13 rebounds.

Both teams shot around 48 percent from the field, but the Pacers performed better from deep at 42.9 percent. The Cavs had one more turnover (15 total) than the Pacers, but it did not appear to put them in a bad spot.

The Cavs are second in the league for getting 122.1 points a game and 11th defensively for allowing 111.3 points from opponents. This is a comfortable margin of safety, but they must continue to stay strong defensively.

Oklahoma City Thunder Betting Preview

The Thunder have won their last three games, with their latest victory being a 118-102 performance against the Philadelphia 76ers. This was an easy win against the Sixers who were missing three of their all-stars, which allowed the Thunder to cover the 15.5-point spread.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led with 32 points in 33 minutes of action and had nine assists. He only missed three of his 15 shots, making him a deadly offensive weapon each time he touched the ball.

As a whole, the Thunder shot 55.6 percent from the field and connected on 33.3 percent from three. Both of those shooting percentages were several points higher in each category compared to the Sixers, which shows how bad the Sixers had it that night.

The Thunder are averaging about 116.1 points a game and rank ninth. Their defense is second in the league at allowing 103.4 points a game. This is a great spread and will be interesting to see if they can maintain that margin.

Odds, Series Trends, and Free Pick

MyBookie has you covered for the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder betting odds, which currently favor the Thunder by 2.5 points. The Thunder have a 58.7 percent chance of winning this battle, according to market predictions.

The Cavs won 129-122 about a week ago at home against the Thunder. However, the Thunder are more appealing at home with strong momentum coming into this matchup.

Final Pick: Oklahoma City Thunder -2.5 (-110)