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Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Cleveland Cavaliers: Game Preview, Prediction

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By @Kramerica100

Getty Images

Getty Images

Oklahoma City Thunder (22-21) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (24-20)

Game Time, TV: Sunday, Jan. 25, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC

Projected Starting Lineups:

Oklahoma City Thunder: PG: Russell Westbrook, SG: Andre Roberson, SF: Kevin Durant, PF: Serge Ibaka, C: Steven Adams

Cleveland Cavaliers: PG: Kyrie Irving, SG: J.R. Smith, SF: LeBron James, PF: Kevin Love, C: Timofey Mozgov

It has been over 11 months since the last time LeBron James and Kevin Durant went head-to-head on a basketball court. That last occurrence included James leaving the game bloodied with a broken nose, but not before he scored 33 points in a blowout win for the Miami Heat. At lot has changed since then. Those two teams were a combined 55 games above .500. They will only be fives games above .500 at tip off.

Both teams have struggled this season, but the reasons are different. The poor start for the Oklahoma City Thunder can be boiled down to injuries. Losing players like Durant and Russell Westbrook for an extended period is not something any team can overcome.

The Cleveland Cavaliers issues are deeper than just injuries. Their roster construction has some serious question marks. They can’t seem to figure out how to use Kevin Love, and their defense remains as one of the least efficient in the NBA. Kyrie Irving‘s role on offense gets scrutinized more and more with every game. Rumors swirl around the team after every loss, most notably the job security of coach David Blatt.

The good news for Blatt and his team is that they are currently on a five-game winning streak, which has put a momentary pause on the criticism. It’s no coincidence that the winning streak began a game after James returned to the lineup. Although, the Cavs have also been getting good performances from newly acquired J.R. Smith. He is averaging 15.6 PPG during the five-game stretch. Cleveland will need his hot shooting from behind the arc to continue in this game.

The obvious matchup to watch will be between James and Durant. They are still the two best players in the league when healthy. However, the most important matchup could be between the point guards. Both Irving and Westbrook are quite polarizing with NBA fans. Their dynamic scoring ability excites some, but turns off others when they go one-on-one too much.

However, Westbrook has made it very difficult for even his biggest naysayers to criticize him this season. He should have a green light on offense all game long with Irving on him. Kyrie has to make Westbrook work on defense, or it could be a long afternoon for Cleveland.

A possible X-factor in the game could be Dion Waiters, who will be making his return to Cleveland after being traded earlier this month. He is averaging 12 PPG since going to Oklahoma City. He has the chance to swing the game in his team’s favor if he is hitting his outside shots. Conversely, he could swing it in Cleveland’s favor if he does the things that caused him to get traded, such as poor shot selection.

The game is much more important to Oklahoma City because of their position in the Western Conference. They are currently three games back of the Phoenix Suns for the final playoff spot. Cleveland has the luxury of knowing they will be in the playoffs as they try and figure everything out. Cleveland’s defense, especially against Westbrook, is worrisome in this game. I give Oklahoma City the slight edge in the matchup because of that, but it should be a great game.

Final Prediction: Oklahoma City 106, Cleveland 103

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