There will be plenty of talent on the court when the Thunder visit the Cavs on Thursday and one star who has yet to hit the hardwood is expected to make his season debut. Point guard Kyrie Irving is likely to play his first game since busting a kneecap in last season’s finals and will only have to deal with OKC’s Russell Westbrook. Welcome back Kyrie.
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LOOK AHEAD
Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving is expected to make his season debut in this game. Irving, shelved since surgery in June to repair a fractured left kneecap suffered in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, was cleared for full contact more than a week ago and has been through a handful of practices since without any setbacks. Irving’s potential return comes at a good time for the Cavs, who lost guard Iman Shumpert with a groin injury Tuesday. It was Shumpert’s second game back to the lineup after missing the start of the season with a wrist injury suffered just days before the start of training camp. While the Cavs continue to work on their rotations and guard play with their expected starting backcourt ready to play, then injured and not playing. Now one might play and the other is hurt again. It’s been a continuing sage for coach Dave Blatt. Thank goodness for Mo Williams, who has picked up the slack while Shumpert and Irving work their way back.
INJURIES
After just two games, Shumpert is back on the sidelines. Shumpert made his season debut Friday in a win over Orlando and suffered a groin strain four days later when the Cavs completed a sweep of their two-game road trip by beating Boston. He will not play against the Thunder and will be re-evaluated once the team returns to Cleveland.
It’s not a given Irving will play in this game. He still has to undergo a battery of physical tests prior to getting team approval and those will come the day of the game.
KEY MATCHUP
Russell Westbrook has put up some eye-popping numbers in his career, but nobody means more to the Thunder franchise than Kevin Durant. He often said he needs to see only one shot go down before he feels like he’s hot. And he’s been scorching all season. Durant is playing great basketball. In his first 18 games he’s shooting better than 53 percent from the field and 44.3 percent from deep. Those numbers would be career-highs, and he’s sinking 90 percent from the stripe. He’s scoring 27.5 points, grabbing 7.9 rebounds and dishing out 4.2 assists. OKC tumbled last year without him and the Thunder can’t afford to lose him for another long stretch. When he’s on the court, the Thunder’s offensive rating is 112.4. Their defensive rating is 98.8. Those numbers change dramatically when Durant is on the bench. At one point over the summer Durant said he was bothered by his perceived fall behind players such as Stephen Curry and Anthony Davis in the league’s superstar pecking order, and to retake his place among the game’s elite, he had to go earn it back. He’s done a fine job so far.
ODDS AND PREDICTION
This game will have a playoff-like feel to it with powerhouses from each conference squaring off. The Cavs were close to being at full strength with Shumpert returning two games ago and Irving expected to be in the lineup Thursday. But those plans were foiled when Shumpert went down with a groin injury in the Cavs’ last game. The team doesn’t consider the injury serious and Shumpert isn’t expected to miss a lot of time. His loss is a blow, however, particularly against the Thunder. Shumpert is considered the Cavs best defender with his length and athleticism making him a perfect matchup against Durant. Cleveland has its own stars, mainly LeBron James, and the King will again have a big night. It won’t matter who OKC puts on him, LeBron is playing with a chip on his shoulder and this is his time to shine, on national television against a team playing the second of a back-to-back. The Cavs have more depth and will take over in the second half on their way to a victory.
Cleveland 114, Oklahoma City 108
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