The Cleveland Cavaliers are the defending champions, but there is a fair amount of uncertainty swirling around them right now. LeBron James has publicly voiced his concerns about having enough playmakers and the team has struggled in 2017. Cleveland hopes to put that behind it in a matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Even though James is the best player in the world, Oklahoma City star Russell Westbrook may be the current front-runner for the MVP award. Despite the recent lull, the Cavs should be the favorite to hit the road and pick up this victory.
Don't miss the hardwood action from Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma CIty, Oklahoma at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, February 9, 2017. Catch every moment of the game live on TNT.
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The Cavaliers are 35-15 straight up and 22-26-2 against the spread. Cleveland has gone on the road 23 times this season and has only covered in nine of those. The Cavaliers have been favored in all but six games on the season. They are 20-22-2 against the spread as the favorite and should be giving points once again in this one.
The Thunder is 30-23 straight up and 29-24 against the spread. Oklahoma City has played in 25 home games on the year and has performed well, covering 16 of them. The Thunder has gone 8-13 against the spread as the underdog this season, which could be of concern.
Player to Watch
Westbrook -- The Thunder’s star guard is having a season for the record books. Without needing to share touches with Kevin Durant, Westbrook has been a monster. He is averaging 31.0 points, 10.4 rebounds and 10.3 assists as he zeroes in on becoming the first player since Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double for an entire season.
There aren’t any stars around him on Oklahoma City, so that’s why the team is only a few games above .500. But if Westbrook is on in this one, he has the capability to lead the Thunder to victory even against one of the most talented teams in the NBA.
Westbrook has averaged 40 points in the team’s two most recent wins and he needs to score the ball effectively in this one.
Key Stat
7. That’s the number of both wins and losses the Cavaliers have totaled over the past 14 games. They are still in first place in the Eastern Conference and are overwhelmingly likely to make it to the NBA Finals, but they need to play better to repeat as champion.
Cleveland won a 140-135 thriller over the Wizards last time out to increase its winning streak to three in a row, and the Cavs hope their recent rough patch is over. While James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving are playing well, the role players aren’t stepping up.
There are rumors that James would be on board with a trade of Love for Carmelo Anthony, but it seems unlikely to happen. The controversy surrounding the team could be a negative and a reason why it has struggled of late.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The Cavaliers are the better team but certainly aren’t running on all cylinders currently. The Thunder could very well get a dominant game from Westbrook and pull this one out at home.
However, the Cavs seem like they have gotten a groove back, and this will be a big one for them to win. The nationally televised game could actually work against Westbrook if he tries to do too much and shoots poorly from the field.
Cleveland has the better talent, and if Westbrook doesn’t have a super human effort, his team won’t have enough to win this one, even at home. Take the Cavs to win despite their recent struggles.
NBA Odds: Cavaliers 113, Thunder 104
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