The 16-7 Cleveland Cavaliers host the 17-8 Oklahoma City Thunder in a game between two teams with NBA Championship hopes. This is one of the bette NBA matchups of the regular season, pitting superstars Kevin Durant and LeBron James against each other. So who picks up the win tonight? Here's our preview and prediction.
Game Info:
When: 8 p.m. ET
Where: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
TV: TNT
Spread: Cavaliers by 2.5
What They're Saying About The Oklahoma City Thunder:
Stevan Adams Finding His Offensive Niche
LeBron Says Durant Can Be NBA's Top Scorer
What They're Saying About The Cleveland Cavaliers:
No Kyrie Irving Against Thunder
Iman Shumpert Out, Mo Williams Questionable
Key To The Game:
How do the Thunder handle their short turn around? The Thunder defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 106-90 at home last night and then jumped on a plane to play the Cavaliers on the road tonight. Playing back-to-back games is hard enough, but adding travel to the mix is just not fair. While no Thunder player topped 30 minutes last night, it's a lot to ask the players to play back-to-back. The Cavs are battling injury issues at guard, but this game will be determined by how the Thunder respond to the short turn around.
Prediction: Cavaliers Win 104-99
It's a close contest, but the Thunder run out of gas late. Playing back-to-back games and traveling just proves to be too much for Durant and Russell Westbrook. The Thunder start strong, but Kevin Love and James provide enough firepower to give the Cavs a win.
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