Oklahoma City Thunder vs Cleveland Cavaliers Prediction, Preview and Odds - 01/08/2025

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Venue:  Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, OH 

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Thunder +2, Cavaliers -2; Over/Under:  227.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Thunder +2, Cavaliers -2; Over/Under:  227.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Thunder +2, Cavaliers -2; Over/Under:  227.5 points

Oklahoma City Thunder:  30-5 (1st place, Northwest Division)

Cleveland Cavaliers:  31-4 (1st place, Central Division)

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Oklahoma City Thunder:  10-0 last 10

Cleveland Cavaliers:  10-0 last 10

The Thunder are entering this game with a 30-5 record overall this season and they are 13-3 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 10 game winning streak with wins coming against the Orlando Magic, the Miami Heat, the Washington Wizards, the Indiana Pacers, the Charlotte Hornets, the Memphis Grizzlies, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Los Angeles Clippers, the New York Knicks, and the Boston Celtics. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the team in points in that game with 33 while Aaron Wiggins was next on the team with 15 points. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the team in assists in that game with 6 while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the team in rebounds with 11. They were 44.8% from the field, 42.1% from 3-point range, and 84.6% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 115.1 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 103 PPG against them. The Thunder have an ATS record of 23-11-2 this season and their O/U record is 15-20-1.

The Cavaliers are entering this game with a 31-4 record overall this season and they are 18-1 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 10 game winning streak with wins coming against the Washington Wizards, the Brooklyn Nets, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Philadelphia 76ers, the Utah Jazz, the Denver Nuggets, the Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Charlotte Hornets. Darius Garland led the team in points in that game with 25 while Jarrett Allen and Donovan Mitchell each were next on the team with 19 points. Caris LeVert led the team in assists in that game with 6 while Jarrett Allen led the team in rebounds with 11. They were 47.8% from the field, 34.9% from 3-point range, and 75% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 122.5 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 110.7 PPG against them. The Cavaliers have an ATS record of 25-10 this season and their O/U record is 23-12.

The current betting odds have the Cavaliers listed as a 2 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Cavaliers have looked great in their games this season with their 31-4 record overall which leads the East with the best record in the entire NBA. They have a ton of momentum coming into this one with 10 wins in a row now, and they have looked great on their home court this year with their 18-1 home record. Meanwhile, the Thunder have also looked great in their games this season with their 30-5 record overall which has them leading the West with one of the best records in the entire NBA. They have also looked great lately with 10 wins in a row and they have been a great road team with their 13-3 road record, but as good as they have been in road games this season, they have still taken a majority of their losses on the road. These are clearly the 2 best teams in the NBA right now and both have a ton of momentum coming into this one. The Thunder are coming off a nice win over the Celtics in their last one, but that win was at home. The Cavaliers have only lost 1 game on their home court all season so they are not going to be easy to take down here, and they are going to bring their best effort for the 2nd best team in the NBA. Both teams are playing great right now, but the home advantage will be enough for the Cavs to edge out the Thunder in this one. The best way to place a bet here is on the Cavaliers to cover the spread in this game. 

Thunder Cavaliers Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Wednesday, January 8, 2025 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Cavaliers 112 Thunder 107.

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Oklahoma City Thunder: 16-25 1H ATS after successfully covering the spread in 3 or more consecutive games. 3-8 ATS on the road after playing 3 consecutive home games. 21-14 OVER in a road game where the total is 220 to 229.5. 47-28 OVER off a home win. 35-23 OVER versus good offensive teams - scoring 116+ points/game.

Cleveland Cavaliers: 32-17 ATS as a home favorite of 6 points or less. 19-7 ATS when playing against a top-level team (Win Pct. > 70%). 30-18 ATS versus good teams - outscoring their opponents by 3+ points/game. 15-8 OVER against Northwest division opponents. 24-15 OVER in a home game where the total is 220 to 229.5. 31-18 OVER versus good teams - outscoring their opponents by 3+ points/game.

Oklahoma City Thunder:  A. Caruso (PG) Day To Day - Hip. C. Holmgren (PF) Out - Hip. N. Topić (PG) Out For Season - ACL.

Cleveland Cavaliers:  S. Merrill (SG) Day To Day - Ankle. I. Okoro (SG) Out - Shoulder.

“That is a great team, and so to test ourselves in that way against that team, we love that challenge. But we love every one of the 82 challenges.” - Mark Daigneault after his team’s win against the Celtics in their game on Sunday.

“It's a balanced team. We have interior play, we have perimeter play, we have ball handlers, we have shooters. So I think it starts there.” - Kenny Atkinson on his team this season.

PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

SG Cason Wallace

SF Luguentz Dort

PF Jalen Williams

C Isaiah Hartenstein

PG Darius Garland

SG Donovan Mitchell

SF Dean Wade

PF Evan Mobley

C Jarrett Allen

PPG: S. Gilgeous-Alexander (31.3)

APG: S. Gilgeous-Alexander (6.1)

Reb/G: I. Hartenstein (12.2)

PPG: D. Mitchell (23.3)

APG: D. Garland (6.6)

Reb/G: J. Allen (10.1)

Coaches:

Oklahoma City Thunder: Mark Daigneault (5th season)

Cleveland Cavaliers: Kenny Atkinson (1st season)