The Oklahoma City Thunder head to Cleveland on Monday night trying to stop a two-game slide, and the matchup comes with a stripped-down roster and a tough test waiting at Rocket Arena.
OKC enters at 4-2 after a 119-98 road loss to the Houston Rockets on Saturday. Cleveland is also 4-2 after rolling past the Milwaukee Bucks 136-111 on the road the same night.
Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CST on Monday, Nov.
The game will air on NBC Sports Network, with streaming available on Peacock. Fans can also watch online through Fubo, which offers a free trial.
The Thunder’s injury list remains long. Alex Caruso is out with a right ankle sprain, Chet Holmgren is out while recovering from a right knee injury, Thomas Sorber is out after right knee surgery, Nikola Topić is out following low back surgery, Cason Wallace is out after left shoulder surgery and Jalen Williams is out after left ankle surgery.
Cleveland has a shorter list of absences. Khalifa Diop is out on a G League assignment, Nae'Qwan Tomlin is out with a low back stress reaction, Jaylon Tyson is out with a right ankle sprain, and Ernest Udeh Jr. is out on a G League two-way. Peyton Watson is questionable with right hamstring tightness/soreness.
Projected starters for OKC are Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Ajay Mitchell, Micah Peavy, Kenrich Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein. Cleveland’s projected starting group is James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Peyton Watson, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
BetMGM listed Cleveland as a 4.5-point favorite Monday, with an over/under of 228.5. The moneyline has OKC at +145 and Cleveland at -180.
Justin Martinez picked Cleveland 117, OKC 100, noting that the Thunder have dropped their last two games to Dallas and Houston by an average of 22.5 points. He also pointed to the absences of Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso, Nikola Topic and Thomas Sorber, writing that James Harden and Donovan Mitchell should do damage without OKC’s main point-of-attack defenders available.
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been at the center of it, pouring in 43 points in the recent win and carrying a remarkable run against Cleveland that has seen him top 30 points in seven straight games. Another big night would move him past Tracy McGrady for the longest such streak against the Cavaliers, giving this rematch a little more individual history to go with the team stakes. [Read more 🡒]