Tip-off: Thursday, 8:05 p.m. ET
Line: Oklahoma City -9.5, Total: 207.0

The Cavaliers will be going for their fifth straight win when they face the Thunder on Thursday.

Cleveland is on fire heading into Thursday’s game, as the Cavs have now won four straight games both SU and ATS. The most recent two victories were especially impressive, as the Cavaliers beat the Wizards 140-135 in overtime in Washington on Monday and then beat the Pacers 132-117 in Indiana on Wednesday. Cleveland has now shot better than 53.0% from the floor in each of the past two games, but also three of the past four. A victory in Oklahoma City should be very doable, but it’s possible that Tyronn Lue decides to rest his starters after playing a road game on Wednesday. The Thunder, meanwhile, would certainly welcome the Cavaliers doing just that. Oklahoma City is coming off of a loss in Indiana, and the team could badly use a win right now. The Thunder are just four games out of the fourth seed in the Western Conference, and they’ll definitely be trying to secure the chance to play at home in the first round of the playoffs. Games like these are ones that they have to win, and they’ll definitely play with a ton of intensity. The Cavaliers have, however, dominated this head-to-head series in recent years. They are 4-1 both SU and ATS versus the Thunder over the past three seasons, and they actually beat them 107-91 as eight-point home favorites on Jan. 29. It’s also worth factoring in that Kevin Durant was a member of this Thunder team prior to this season, so it’s possible that Cleveland will have an even easier time beating Oklahoma City moving forward.

The Cavaliers are playing some great basketball right now, and SF LeBron James (25.9 PPG, 8.8 APG, 7.9 RPG, 1.4 SPG), PG Kyrie Irving (24.3 PPG, 5.9 APG, 3.2 RPG, 1.2 SPG) and PF Kevin Love (20.2 PPG, 11.1 RPG) are all big reasons for that. The superstar trio has been playing as well as advertised lately, but the three of them are most likely going to be resting against the Thunder on Thursday. If that’s the case then it will be very tough for Cleveland to come away with the road win. Guys like SG Jordan McRae (4.6 PPG), SG Kyle Korver, (10.6 PPG), PF Channing Frye (9.1 PPG, 3.5 RPG) and C Tristan Thompson (7.9 PPG, 9.6 RPG) would see a ton of increased looks with the “big three” out. McRae might not play much, but he has shown he is capable of lighting it up in the past. He might be Cleveland’s best option as a scorer, as he is one of the only guys off the bench that can create his own shots.

The Thunder could have a golden opportunity to earn a win on Thursday, as they’re likely facing the Cavaliers’ B-team. Either way, PG Russell Westbrook (30.9 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 10.2 APG, 1.5 SPG) is going to show up in a big way for Oklahoma City. Westbrook is still averaging a triple-double on the season, and it’s likely going to stay that way. His energy is almost impossible to match, and it means he’ll always be a threat to fill up the stat sheet. Westbrook does, however, need some help from his teammates. Two guys that could provide that in this game are SG Victor Oladipo (16.0 PPG, 1.3 SPG) and C Steven Adams (12.1 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 1.1 BPG). With Irving likely out for the Cavs, Oladipo will be the second best guard on the court on Thursday. He should be more aggressive than usual in this one, as he’ll likely have no trouble getting to the rim. Adams, meanwhile, will continue to be a monster inside for the Thunder. This game should be no different, and it’s hard to imagine him not winning his matchup with Tristan Thompson.