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Preview: Thunder host new-look Cavaliers to end short homestand

By Yams

CLEVELAND, OH - JANUARY 20: Carmelo Anthony #7 of the OKC Thunder handles the ball against JR Smith #5 of the Cleveland Cavaliers on January 20, 2018 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - JANUARY 20: Carmelo Anthony #7 of the OKC Thunder handles the ball against JR Smith #5 of the Cleveland Cavaliers on January 20, 2018 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Oklahoma City Thunder host the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second and final game of a brief homestand. OKC is looking to start a winning streak to get out of this rough patch.

It’s been a tough couple of weeks for the OKC Thunder. Oklahoma City had lost five of six going into Sunday’s matinee against Memphis; Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony were sitting out their second game in a row.

And then the Thunder decided to make it rain from 3-point range. OKC started off hot, going 7-8 from 3 in the first quarter. They never looked back.

By the time the first half was done, the Thunder drained a halftime-franchise record 12 3’s and were up by 20. The game was beyond reach for the overmatched Grizzlies after that. Oklahoma City ended up tying a franchise record with 16 threes in a game and won 110-92 in a solid team effort. Paul George scored 33 points. Alex Abrines scored 16. Each of Raymond Felton, Patrick Patterson, and Jerami Grant scored 14 points. But that wasn’t all there was to the game.

Everytime PG13 went to the line, Thunder fans chanted “We want Paul!” and “We love Paul!”

New look Cavs coming to OKC

The roster the Cavaliers have now is different than the one that was on the receiving end of a 148-124 loss in their first meeting this year. Isaiah Thomas, Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade, Jae Crowder, Iman Shumpert and Channing Frye have all been replaced with George Hill, Rodney Hood, Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr.

Surrounding LeBron James with that kind of energy proved to be crucial in the Cavaliers’ first game since the roster overhaul. They absolutely thrashed the Boston Celtics 121-99 on Paul Pierce’s jersey retirement night.

With just one game worth of footage to watch, Thunder HC Billy Donovan and his staff have to be extremely meticulous when analyzing the tape.

“They played obviously a great game against Boston,” Donovan said. “So, a lot to get prepared for from the standpoint of, obviously, their team has changed so drastically personnel-wise from the last time we played them.”

The Thunder have a tough challenge, but this is still a rather winnable game. They just have to make sure to do the following.

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