The Cleveland Cavaliers look to win their second game in a row following the All-Star break, and fifth straight overall as they travel to challenge the Oklahoma City Thunder for the second time this season. The highly anticipated rematch will be the second and last meeting between the two teams this season.
The Cavaliers (39-14), who currently hold the first seed in the Eastern Conference, are looking to extend their advantage over the second seeded Toronto Raptors. Meanwhile, the Thunder (40-15) are looking to close the gap between themselves and the two top seeded Western Conference powerhouses, the Golden State Warriors and the San Antonio Spurs.
The matchup will be headlined by the highly anticipated battle at the small forward position between LeBron James and Kevin Durant. Both of the former MVPs are in the NBA’s top five in scoring averages this season. Durant is averaging 27.8 ppg, falling at number three, and James is at five while averaging 25 ppg. Both players are also towards the top this season’s MVP ladder.
Last Meeting
The last time these two forces met on December 17th, it was a balanced scoring effort by Cleveland, who had six players score 10 points or more, to lead them to a 104-100 win at home over Oklahoma City on TNT. The Cavaliers trailed the majority of the game, but a late fourth quarter push allowed Cleveland to mount an impressive comeback win.
LeBron James led the way for Cleveland, nearly notching a triple-double with 33 points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds as Oklahoma City received most of their points from Russell Westbrook with 27, Kevin Durant with 25, and Serge Ibaka with 23. Tristan Thompson played a pivotal role in Cleveland’s comeback, grabbing 11 offensive rebounds and 15 total rebounds. Thompson’s extra possessions ultimately allowed Cleveland to get hot, creating multiple opportunities to capitalize on second-chance points.
Many might remember their last meeting because of the infamous moment towards the end of the game when James dove into the crowd to save a loose ball, ultimately injuring the wife of PGA champion Jason Day. According to ESPN, Ellie Day was taken from the arena to the MetroHealth Medical Center on a stretcher with her head immobilized, drawing a great scare from many including LeBron. Soon after the game, James took to Twitter to express his concern for Day tweeting, “Ellie Day I hope you’re doing okay! My apologies! Hope u guys come back to another game soon. Love LJ!” Day was released from the hospital the following morning according to ESPN.
The Differences
On the December 17th meeting, Cleveland’s All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving and backup guard Mo Williams were both injured, and therefore inactive for the Cavs. David Blatt has also been replaced by Tyronn Lue at the coaching position. Lue is 9-3 in his 12 games as Cleveland’s head coach. Rookie Thunder guard Cameron Payne did not play in the last meeting either, and has stepped up his game as of late, currently averaging 5.4 points and two assists a game according to NBA.com.
Additionally, both teams made deals at the trade deadline. Channing Frye has been added to the Cavaliers roster, as they made a trade in exchange for Anderson Varejao and Jared Cunningham. Oklahoma City also made a trade on Wednesday, sending guard D.J. Augustin to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for swingman Randy Foye.
The game will tip-off Sunday afternoon at 3:30 P.M. EST and will be aired on ABC.
