Cleveland Cavaliers – Oklahoma City Thunder: a proper reality check for Cleveland
Second card on this MLK Day night in Ohio: Cavaliers vs Thunder. Both clubs come in with momentum and could serve up a proper scrap, like last season. The objective is blunt: title or bust. OKC’s chasing a historic back-to-back. Cleveland’s project sits on a knife edge — no success and it risks being ripped apart.
Cleveland Cavaliers : victoire référence à domicile 
Things are looking up in Cleveland. The Cavaliers just posted back-to-back wins over the 76ers (133-101 then 117-115), nudging them back to 5th place in the Eastern Conference. With three wins in their last four, Kenny Atkinson’s side are regaining what made them so dangerous last season. Slick offence. Beautiful ball movement. The 4ème best attack in the league has found its rhythm again, dropping 133 and even 146 points on the Timberwolves ten days ago.
Defense still needs work. The Cavaliers concede 117,4 points per game — the 10th worst mark in the NBA this season. Against high-octane offences like the Thunder, Cleveland’s got to tighten up or they’ll get exposed on that end.
INJURY REPORT : Darius Garland (OUT) – Sam Merrill (OUT) – Max Strus (OUT) – Dean Wade (probable)
Oklahoma City Thunder : se relancer après un faux pas
The Thunder are, plain and simple, the best team in the league this season. OKC did drop their last game to the Heat (120-122), but Mark Daigneault’s men had already shrugged off that late-December/early-January wobble with a five-game streak — solid wins over San Antonio (119-98) and Houston (111-91).
Even without Jalen Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein, the defence remains elite. Allowing just 108,0 points per game, the Thunder wreck opposing offenses with constant pressure — on passing lanes and on ball handlers. Offensively, reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, on a 113-game streak of 20+ point showings, carries the NBA’s second-best attack at 121,1 points a night. Against a Cavs side back in form, OKC will need a near-perfect performance to avoid a second surprise loss.
INJURY REPORT : Isaiah Hartenstein (OUT) – Jalen Williams (OUT)
Pronostic NBA Cleveland Cavaliers vs Oklahoma City Thunder
Over 232,5 points
The Thunder recently lost to one of the league’s top offenses; the Cavaliers are one of those teams that pile on the points. At home, Cleveland should have their offensive bearings, which will help them put up a big total. Oklahoma City can adapt to these sorts of games, and even with the league’s best defense, this fixture has all the ingredients for a high-scoring night.
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