Thunder at Cavaliers: NBA Betting Preview & Odds

Last season the Cleveland Cavaliers battled OKC to the final week for the best record in the entire NBA. The Thunder picked up right where they left off winning 34 of their first 41 games. Meanwhile the Cavs have struggled just to stay above .500 with lofty expectations after winning the second-most games in franchise history.

One thing the teams do well is score the basketball with both ranked among the top 4 in points per game. OKC couples its offense with the NBA’s best defense to produce the best scoring margin in the league, more than 6 points per game higher than the No. 2 team.

Thunder at Cavaliers Preview

The defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder plays the third game of a 4-game road trip on Monday, January 19, 2026 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Tipoff is set for 2:30 p.m. ET from Rocket Arena in Cleveland with NBC providing television coverage.

Public Betting Odds Factors

There was talk of the Thunder going after the NBA’s season record for wins after starting with 24 wins in 25 games. The chatter has been minimized, but OKC is well on its way to another outstanding season.

There hasn’t been much to complain about for OKC with wins in 83 percent of their games. One problem for the Thunder has been the San Antonio Spurs, who won the first three meetings handing OKC nearly half of its seven losses. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points to help OKC exorcise some demons with a 119-98 win over the Spurs last week.

The Thunder covered the 8.5-point NBA spread in that contest for their first payout in six games. Despite their lofty record the Thunder cover in only 48.8 percent of their games.

The reigning MVP should be a target in any player prop market with the numbers he’s put up. With 31.9 points per game Gilgeous-Alexander is scoring close to the same amount as last year when he led the NBA at 32.7. He’s improved his 3-point shooting making triples in nearly 40 percent of his tries.

The Cavs will look to improve on the floor and at the betting window over the second half of the season. They rebounded from a home loss to Utah by beating Philadelphia 133-107 on Wednesday improving to 23-19. And prior to the Philly game the Cavs had just 4 payouts in 17 games.

With the help of six players averaging more than 13 points per game, the Cavaliers average more than 120 points per game and have cashed the OVER in 3 straight outings.

Thunder at Cavaliers Predictions

With 2 of the 4 highest scoring teams in the NBA going at it, the safe assumption is that points will be scored. Don’t count on it, though. OKC prides itself on playing defense and leads the NBA in efficiency allowing less than 107 points per 100 possessions. And the Cavs have played UNDER the total in 62.5 percent of their home games.

This could easily turn into a battle between two of the most prolific scorers in the NBA. SGA tallied 34 points against San Antonio last week in a game the Thunder strongly felt they needed. Donovan Mitchell scored 35 points in the Cavs’ bounce back win over Philly and ranks 4th in the NBA averaging 29.7 points per game.

Thunder at Cavaliers Betting Tips

OKC is creating separation in the West but they haven’t been a good bet going 20-21 against the NBA betting line.

The Cavs have just 7 payouts in 18 home games for one of the worst percentages in the NBA.

The Thunder entered their current trip with the best road record in the NBA at 14-4 with an average margin of victory at 11.9 points.

Thunder at Cavaliers Head to Head and Key Stats

On their way to the best records in the NBA, the Cavs and Thunder split the season series last year with each getting a payout win on home court.

The games took place in a span of 8 days last January with Cleveland winning the first 129-122 behind 6 players scoring in double figures. It also snapped a 3-game Cavs skid.