Oklahoma City Thunder vs Cleveland Cavaliers Prediction, 2/21/2021 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Oklahoma City Thunder vs Cleveland Cavaliers

Date: Sunday, February 21, 2021

Location: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, OH

TV: Fox Sports Ohio

Odds/Point Spread: Oklahoma City (+1)

The Cleveland Cavaliers (10-20) host the Oklahoma City Thunder (11-18) at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Sunday. Cleveland opens this game as 1-point favorites. The O/U is set at 227.

The Oklahoma City Thunder played the Milwaukee Bucks and ended up losing by a score of 98-85 in their last contest. Oklahoma City wrapped up the game having earned a 36.5% FG percentage (31 out of 85) and buried 12 of their 40 three-point shots. From the charity stripe, the Thunder made 11 of their 21 tries for a percentage of 52.4%. When it comes to hauling in rebounds, they earned 46 with 8 of them being offensive. They also dished out 20 assists for the matchup while earning 4 steals and 5 blocked shots. When it comes to defending, Oklahoma City allowed 40.7% from the floor on 35 of 86 shooting. Milwaukee doled out 23 dimes and had 5 steals in this game. Additionally, the Bucks collected 61 rebounds (11 offensive, 50 defensive) and had 6 blocked shots. Milwaukee went 68.0% from the free throw line by converting 17 of their 25 attempts. They also made 11 of 34 tries from distance.

Luguentz Dort is a player who was a factor in this contest. He finished with 17 points on 6 of 16 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 32:31 mins played and also snagged 2 boards. Dort finished shooting 37.5% from the field and also totaled 2 assists. Another guy that was a major factor in the game for the Thunder was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He totaled 4 rebounds and also totaled 5 dimes. He finished 25.0% from the floor in this game via 3-of-12 (14 points). When this game wrapped up, Gilgeous-Alexander was on the hardwood for 36:01 min.

Oklahoma City will enter this matchup with a win-loss mark of 11-18 this season. The Thunder are shooting 34.2% on 3-point shots (372 of 1,089) and 73.0% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 106.9 pts per contest (27th in the league) while going 44.7% from the field. They turn it over 14.5 times per game and as a squad they are committing 18.3 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Oklahoma City is collecting 44.9 boards per contest and has accumulated 678 assists this year, which has them ranked 23rd in the NBA in terms of passing. On the defensive end, the Thunder are forcing their opponents into 13.3 turnovers per contest while drawing 18.6 fouls. They concede 35.3% on shots from beyond the perimeter while they are 19th in the league in PPG allowed (113.1). The Thunder defense is giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 46.1% (385 of 540) and they surrender 48.8 rebounds per game as a team. They rank 18th in the league in allowing assists with 729 conceded for the campaign.

When they last stepped on the court, the Cleveland Cavaliers walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 120-103 against the Denver Nuggets. The Cavaliers were able to snag 21 defensive boards and 13 offensive boards totaling 34 in the game. They also turned away 4 tries while getting 8 steals for the game. The Nuggets committed 17 fouls in this game which took the Cavaliers to the free throw line for a total of 21 shots. They were able to bury 13 of those for a percentage of 61.9%. When discussing shots from 3-point land, Cleveland knocked down 12 out of their 31 tries (38.7%). When the final whistle was blown, the Cavaliers ended up shooting 39 for 83 from the field which gave them a rate of 47.0%. The Cavaliers permitted the Nuggets to convert 46 of 80 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 57.5% for this contest. They shot 48.4% from distance by shooting 15 of 31 and finished the game at 13 out of 17 from the charity stripe (76.5%). In reference to team rebounding, Cleveland permitted Denver to collect 37 overall (6 on the offensive glass).

Collin Sexton ended up being important for the Cavaliers in this game. He made 8 of 17 in the matchup for a field goal rate of 47.1%, which had him finishing with 23 points. Sexton totaled 2 rebounds in his 37:49 mins of time on the court and had 4 dimes for the game. One more player that was pivotal for Cleveland was Jarrett Allen. He racked up 20 points in 33:42 mins played by way of 8 of 9 from the floor in this matchup. Allen ended up shooting 88.9% from the field while also earning 4 assists and 10 rebounds.

Cleveland has a win-loss record of 10-20 this season. Cleveland has scored 3,116 pts so far this season (103.9 per contest) and they average 43.3 boards per game. The Cavaliers commit 19.2 fouls per contest and they connect on 71.5% from the free throw line. When it comes to offense, the Cavaliers are hitting on 44.8% from the field, which is ranked 24th in basketball. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 23.3 times per contest (22nd in the league) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 15.5 times per game. The Cavaliers are ranked 22nd in basketball in PPG surrendered with 113.2. They concede 25.2 dimes and 44.0 total boards per game, which is ranked 20th and 14th in the NBA. The Cleveland defense allows 40.3% from downtown (402 of 997) and their opponents are connecting on 77.2% of their shots from the charity stripe. They are forcing 15.7 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 48.4% from the floor (29th in the league).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Cleveland (-1)

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