Cavaliers vs. Thunder Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Thursday, Jan. 16

The Cavs have the best road record in the NBA entering Thursday's matchup with OKC.

The Cavs have the best road record in the NBA entering Thursday's matchup with OKC. / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

For the second (and final) time in the regular season, the Cleveland Cavaliers will take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in a battle of the two No. 1 seeds in the NBA. 

Cleveland got the best of the Thunder last week at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse despite a poor shooting game from Donovan Mitchell (3-for-16 from the field, 11 points). 

Oklahoma City will be shorthanded on Thursday, as Chet Holmgren (hip fracture) remains out and Isaiah Hartenstein (soleus strain) has been ruled out for this matchup. Losing Hartenstein is huge, as OKC doesn’t have another true center on the roster and has gone 22-2 in the 24 games that Hartenstein has appeared in this season. 

Still, oddsmakers have favored the Thunder by 1.5 points at home. This should be the best matchup of the night, so why don’t we place a little action on it?

Here’s a breakdown of the odds, my favorite props and a prediction for Cavs vs. Thunder.

Cavaliers vs. Thunder Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

• Cavs +1.5 (-108)
• Thunder -1.5 (-112)

Moneyline

• Cavs: +105
• Thunder: -125

Total

• 232.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Cavaliers vs. Thunder How to Watch

• Date: Thursday, Jan. 16
• Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
• Venue: Paycom Center
• How to Watch (TV): TNT/truTV/Max
• Cavs record: 34-5
• Thunder record: 33-6

Cavaliers vs. Thunder Injury Reports

Cavs Injury Report

• Emoni Bates – out
• Ty Jerome – questionable
• Luke Travers – out
• JT Thor – out

Thunder Injury Report

• Isaiah Hartenstein – out
• Chet Holmgren – out
• Nikola Topic – out
• Dillon Jones – out
• Ousmane Dieng – out
• Ajay Mitchell – out
• Adam Flagler – available

Cavaliers vs. Thunder Best NBA Prop Bets

Cleveland Cavaliers Best NBA Prop Bet

• Jarrett Allen OVER 10.5 Rebounds (-125)

Earlier today, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why this could be a huge game for Allen on the glass: 

Cavs big man Jarrett Allen has an ideal matchup on Thursday night, as the Thunder are now down Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren due to injury.

OKC lacks a true center left on the roster, and Allen picked up 11 boards in the win over the Thunder last week even though Hartenstein was in action.

Overall, Allen is averaging 10.2 rebounds per game on 17.0 rebound chances, giving him a pretty solid floor when it comes to this prop. The Cavs center hasn’t had a game with less than nine boards since Dec. 23, and even though this prop is set higher than his season average, he’s still cleared it 19 times in 39 games.

The Thunder rank 28th in the NBA in opponent rebounds per game, so Allen should dominate the glass on Thursday. 

Oklahoma City Thunder Best NBA Prop Bet

• Jalen Williams OVER 5.5 Rebounds (-140)

With Holmgren and Hartenstein out on Thursday, Jalen Williams is going to be asked to play a bigger role on the glass in small-ball lineups.

The Thunder star is averaging 5.7 rebounds per game this season, but in five games without both Chet and Hartenstein, he’s averaging 7.4 boards per game. Williams cleared this prop four times in that five-game stretch, picking up at least eight boards in three of those games.

He’s a great bet at this number tonight. 

Cavaliers vs. Thunder Prediction and Pick

With Hartenstein out, this is a tough matchup for the Thunder – even at home.

OKC is already one of the worst rebounding teams in the NBA (28th in rebounding percentage) and now it has to go against the massive frontcourt of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen without a true center.

Sure, OKC could try to play those bigs off the floor by going small, but the Cavs have stuck to their guns this season by playing this two-big lineup. It’s clearly paid off, as Cleveland has the best record in the NBA, the No. 1 offensive rating, and the No. 8 defensive rating.

In addition, Cleveland is 14-3 straight up on the road – the best mark in the league. 

I do think the Thunder will hang around in this matchup given their record at home (17-2) and their No. 1 defense, but I keep turning to one thing from the last meeting between these teams.

Mitchell had arguably his worst game of the season, and yet the Cavs still found a way to win. I can’t expect him to play that poorly again, and now OKC is the team down a major piece in its rotation. 

The Cavs are the bet to make on Thursday. 

Pick: Cavs Moneyline (+105)

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.