Cavs at Thunder preview and gamethread

The Cavs and Thunder will square off in a highly-anticipated rematch of the conference’s best.

Just eight days after the highly publicized initial matchup of conference leaders, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder will square off at the Paycom Center on the national stage once again. The Cavs came out victorious in round one, a back-and-forth 129-122 win at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. No doubt the Thunder will be looking to exact some revenge in front of their home crowd.

Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (34-5) at Oklahoma City Thunder (33-6)

Where: Paycom Center – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

When: 7:30 p.m. – Thursday, January 16

TV: TNT

Line: Thunder -3.5

Expected Cavs starting lineup: Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Dean Wade, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen.

Cavs injury report: Emoni Bates – OUT (G League), JT Thor – OUT (G League), Luke Travers – OUT (G League)

Expected Thunder starting lineup: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cason Wallace, Lu Dort, Jaylen Williams, Jaylin Williams

Thunder injury report: Chet Holmgren – OUT (hip), Isaiah Hartenstein – OUT (leg), Ajay Mitchell – OUT (toe), Nikola Topic – OUT (knee), Osuane Dieng – OUT (G League), Dillon Jones – OUT (G League)

What to watch for

Mitchell rebound?

The most impressive part of the Cavs’ victory over the Thunder last week was that they overcame a very poor shooting night from Donovan Mitchell. Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley, and the bench (namely Max Strus and Ty Jerome) all came to the rescue and saved the day, a testament to the depth and growth of the Cavs roster.

Last season, the Cavs went the way Mitchell did. If he had a poor night, the team had a tough time overcoming it. The Cavs are more well-equipped to handle a Spida dud, yes. But facing the number one defense in the league even with Mitchell playing well is challenging. To make matters even more sticky is the return of Alex Caruso, who did not play in the initial matchup in Cleveland. His point-of-attack defense is notorious around the league and just adds to the Thunder’s defensive aptitude. Caruso is yet another quality defender to throw out there.

Despite Mitchell’s subpar shooting night, the Cavs still hung 129 points on the Thunder– the most they have given up on the season. Kenny Atkinson’s offense is humming along, but an effective Mitchell changes the dynamic even further. Look for the Cavs to try and get him going early to set the tempo.