NBA Thursday and we will see the Cleveland Cavaliers take on the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The game has a start time of 8:00 pm (Eastern) and will be televised on TNT. Vegas odds have the Thunder listed as 2.5 point favorites, while the total sits at 203.5.

Analysis:  The Cleveland Cavaliers started off the year very slowly, but they have since turned it around and have now won 8 in a row to push their record to 13-7 on the season. The Cavaliers are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings, but just 5-11 ATS in their last 16 when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game and 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games vs. a team with a winning % below .400. The Cavs are 8th in the league in scoring (103.5 ppg), 8th in shooting, 13th in 3 point shooting and 12th in FT shooting. On defense the Cavs rank 10th in points allowed (98.2 ppg), 22nd in defensive FG% and 9th in 3 point defense.

THe Oklahoma City Thunder have dealt with many injuries in the early going and it translated into a 3-12 start. Well the team is now healthy and they come in having won 5 of their last 6 games. The Thunder are 20-6 ATS in their last 26 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of greater than .600, while the host is 12-5 ATS in the last 17 meetings, but the Thunder are also 1-10 ATS in their last 11 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game. The Thunder have been a weak offensive team, ranking 28th in scoring (93.5 ppg), 25th in shooting, 27th in 3 point shooting and 22nd in FT shooting. Defensively they have been one of the best in the league, ranking 4th in points allowed (94.4 ppg), 2nd in defensive FG% and 3rd in 3 point defense.         

Pick:   I will look to the Under in this one. The Cleveland offense is clicking right now, but they will be taking on one of the vest defensive teams in the league. For the year Oklahoma City has allowed just 94.4 ppg, while at home they have given up just 88.6 ppg. On offense the Thunder have been much better now that both Durant and Westbrook are back in the lineup, but still the Cavs have improved on defense, especially of late, allowing just 91.3 ppg during their 8 game win streak. The Under is 6-0-1 in Cleveland's last 7 games playing on 1 days rest, while the Under is 16-5 in Oklahoma City's last 21 games playing on 1 days rest and 21-8 in their last 29 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game. This is a hug game for both teams and they tend to be lower scoring, plus we note that Thunder home games have averaged just 187.8 ppg this year. I see this one in the lower 190s.    

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