Filip Tomic
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Last week’s Cavaliers vs Thunder matchup was one of the most entertaining regular-season games of the season so far, and we can only hope the 2 teams can put on a similar show as they meet up in OKC this evening. I’ve prepared a Cavaliers vs Thunder Same Game Parlay to spice things up a bit, which is available at +493 odds with DraftKings Sportsbook. You can also check out our NBA picks for tonight’s big games, but for now, let’s dive into my SGP.
Thunder -2.5 (-114)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to score 30+ points (-190)
Jarrett Allen to record 12+ rebounds (+135)
Cavaliers vs Thunder Same Game Parlay odds: +493
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Oklahoma City Thunder -2.5 over Cleveland Cavaliers (-114)
The Thunder players didn’t lose much sleep after that defeat in Cleveland last week. In fact, it was just the opposite – they responded by winning all 3 of their games since by an average of 27.3 points. Hosting the Cavaliers will be a huge character test for them, especially since we now know that Isaiah Hartenstein will be out of this game, forcing the Thunder to play a small-ball lineup. That’s nothing new for this team though, as they’ve been able to adapt whenever one of their starters goes out with an injury, I expect nothing less for Thursday’s matchup.
Cleveland has gone 2-1 since that win over OKC last week but we’ve seen some weaknesses along the way, especially in that Pacers loss at home where they had a complete meltdown in the 2nd half. It’s hard to find any flaw in either of these 2 teams at the moment, but playing at home and their superior zone defense should give the edge to Oklahoma City here.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to score 30+ points (-190)
SGA is another factor in my decision to pick the Thunder to win this game. He has been absolutely on fire ever since that NBA Cup final loss to Milwaukee. Scoring 30 points has become a routine for him at this point. He’s done it in 7 of his last 9 games while averaging 32 points per game in January — and he’s doing it on really solid efficiency too. From the field, SGA is shooting over 56%, while his three-ball is at an encouraging 36.4% over the past 10 games.
He didn’t have the most efficient game against Cleveland last week, but he still managed to score 31 points in the loss. Having a big scoring night and getting a win against the top team in the Eastern Conference should also boost his regular-season MVP campaign, so I’m expecting SGA to go all out here. In the last 8 meetings against Cleveland. Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 30.9 points per game.
Find out our 3 best NBA player prop bets for tonight, featuring a pick from Cavs vs Thunder
Jarrett Allen to record 12+ rebounds (+135)
No Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren completely opens up the door for the Cavaliers’ front line to once again dominate the rebounding battle. Grabbing 12 offensive rebounds was one of the key factors in the Cavs’ win over OKC last week and Jarrett Allen had 7 of those. January has been a productive month for him on the glass, as he’s upped his average from 9.2 rebounds per game to 10.7 in the 6 games played so far. Oklahoma City is one of the worst rebounding teams in the NBA, allowing opponents to grab 55.7 rebounds a night which ranks 29th in the league.
With no centers at their disposal, the Thunder will be forced to play faster here, so in theory that should mean an increase in stats across the board. Allen is averaging 11.3 rebounds per game in the last 8 meetings with OKC, and in 6 of those games, he cracked the double-digit mark in rebounding.
