Oklahoma City Thunder vs Cleveland Cavaliers Prediction

Oklahoma City Thunder vs Cleveland Cavaliers Prediction comes before their NBA regular season clash on Friday, April 9th 2021, at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Read my match preview for the correct score predictions and best betting tips ahead of this fixture.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs Cleveland Cavaliers Preview

No Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (foot), Luguentz Dort (concussion) or Darius Bazley (shoulder), while starting centre Al Horford has officially been shut out of the rotation as he prepares for a new home in the offseason.

With all that news in mind, it'd be a minor disaster if J. B. Bickerstaff's men didn't emerge from Oklahoma clutching a morale-boosting road win against an understaffed Thunder here.

To do so, they will likely need more efficient scoring nights from Collin Sexton and Darius Garland, their blossoming backcourt, as well as experienced five-time All-Star PF Kevin Love, who continues to get his feet wet after extended time on the sidelines with a calf injury. 

OKC, rookie PF Aleksej Pokusevski and fellow first-year PG Theo Maledon have additional scoring responsibilities with their aforementioned injuries truly testing the Thunder depth. They should relish this chance to assert themselves as long-term mainstays within the rotation. 

Oklahoma City Thunder vs Cleveland Cavaliers Betting Tips

ESPN's BPI is narrowly backing the Thunder to improve their lopsided (9-17) home record overnight with a 53.4% win probability chance, in a result that would also snap their four-game losing streak.

However, I'm siding with the visiting Cavaliers for this matchup - largely due to their aforementioned dynamic backcourt duo, who combined for 59 points during a blowout victory away in San Antonio earlier this week. 

Considering that and this being the second of a back-to-back slate for OKC, I'm expecting the Cavaliers to string together successive road victories here after a five-game losing streak of their own beforehand.