The Cleveland Cavaliers have re-tooled on the fly. It remains to be seen if all the trades done at the deadline will turn them into a legitimate title contender. It’s not easy finding chemistry in such a limited amount of time but Cleveland hopes to work it out this week against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
LeBron James is still the lynchpin for Cleveland and will always keep his team among the upper echelon, but the team was really struggling this year with guys like Isaiah Thomas, Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose around him. All of them have been jettisoned, and the new-look Cavs could learn a lot about themselves in this matchup.
Oklahoma City had an adjustment period of its own early in the season while bringing in Paul George and Carmelo Anthony and has been up and down on the season. Look for the Thunder to be the favorite in this showdown as it has the home court advantage.
Don't miss the hardwood action from the Chesapeake Energy Arena at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, February 13, 2018. Catch every moment of the game live on TNT.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Tuesday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Cavaliers are 33-22 straight up and 17-37-1 against the spread. They have covered in 11 of 28 attempts on the road. Cleveland is 7-4 against the spread as the underdog this season. The Cavs have been the underdog pretty often lately as the oddsmakers have finally downgraded them for their poor performance.
Oklahoma City is 32-25 straight up and 24-33 against the spread. The Thunder has gone 13-16 against the spread at home this season. It is 5-2 attempting to cover as the underdog.
Key Stat
Four. That’s the number of new players on Cleveland after a wild trading deadline flurry. The Cavaliers added Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance, Jr. from the Lakers in exchange for Thomas, Channing Frye and their first-round pick. Cleveland then added Rodney Hood from the Jazz in exchange for Rose and Jae Crowder and George Hill from the Kings while Iman Shumpert was shipped out. Wade was also sent to Miami for a second-round pick.
So James is still the main attraction and Kevin Love will be the second banana when he returns from injury, but the rest of the pecking order must now be worked out. This will only be the second game with all of the team’s new parts, following a 121-99 win over the Celtics on Sunday.
Everything looked great against Boston, as Clarkson had a big game and Hill made an impact. Don’t overreact to that performance, though, as it was only one game. The Cavaliers will have to prove all of these new pieces are going to mesh the rest of the way.
Injury Report
Russell Westbrook and Anthony both sprained their ankles against the Warriors last week and subsequently sat out in a loss to the Lakers. They also missed Sunday’s game against the Grizzlies, putting their availability for this one in doubt. It’s a huge storyline as the absence of Westbrook could move the Thunder from favorites to underdogs.
Westbrook is one of the NBA’s most talented players and is instrumental in the team’s success. He is averaging 25.5 points, 10.3 assists and 9.3 rebounds per contest, following up his MVP season with another stellar showing.
Anthony is averaging 17.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per contest, and while he isn’t a superstar anymore, Anthony is still a solid player for Oklahoma City. Keep a close eye on the health of these two players as the game approaches.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The Cavs may be better in the long run after all of the trades, but it’s going to be an adventure fitting in so many new pieces for the next couple of weeks. The Thunder should be able to take advantage of that and come away with the win at home as long as Westbrook plays. The thinking is that he will be able to suit up in this nationally televised affair.
Look for James to put up huge numbers, but he’s not going to get enough help in this one. Consider the “under” if the scoring total is high because the Cavs may be discombobulated in the halfcourt at times.
NBA Odds: Thunders 107, Cavaliers 99
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