Contract Situation by category:
Guaranteed: Jordan Clarkson, Matthew Dellavedova, Brandon Knight, Collin Sexton, John Henson, Larry Nance Jr., Cedi Osman, Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, Ante Zizic, Darius Garland, Kevin Porter Jr., Dylan Windler
Non/Partial Guaranteed: G: Sindarius Thornwell | F: Jarell Martin
Two-Way Contracts: F: Dean Wade
Unsigned or on Exhibit 10:
Marques Bolden | J.P. Macura | Daniel Hamilton | Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot
Thunder performance vs. Cavaliers in 2018-19
With LeBron James exiting for the Hollywood hills and Kevin Love on the shelf the Thunder easily swept the season series versus the Cavs. In the first match, Dennis Schroder (28) and Collin Sexton (15) were the high scorers while Russell Westbrook (23) and Jordan Clarkson (25) took those honors in the second meeting. The November 28th match was also the game when Westbrook tied Jason Kidd for third-most triple-doubles all-time.
November 7, 2018, OKC Thunder at Cleveland Cavaliers, Win: 95 – 86
November 28, 2018, OKC Thunder versus Cleveland Cavaliers, Win: 100 – 83
Cavaliers Games versus OKC Thunder in 2019-20:
Away Game: Saturday, January 4, 2020, at 7:30 p.m. EST
Home Game: Wed, February 5, 2020, at 8:00 p.m. EST
Marquee matchup: Kevin Love vs. Danilo Gallinari
What to expect in the two matches versus Cavaliers this season:
Although the Cavaliers have issues on both sides of the hardwood the return of Kevin Love and addition of Darius Garland should address some of the Cavaliers offensive issues.
In fact, the Love – Gallinari matchup, in particular, is extremely intriguing. Each of the men is strong offensively with versatile, offensive prowess. Both men are 6’10 capable of scoring inside the paint and also stretching the court right out to the perimeter.
| Rk | Player | Season | Age | G | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3PA | 3P% | 2P% | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danilo Gallinari | 2018-19 | 30 | 68 | 30.3 | 6.0 | 13.0 | .463 | 5.5 | .433 | .484 | 6.0 | .904 | 6.1 | 2.6 | 0.7 | 19.8 |
| 2 | Kevin Love | 2018-19 | 30 | 22 | 27.2 | 5.0 | 12.9 | .385 | 6.7 | .361 | .412 | 5.2 | .904 | 10.9 | 2.2 | 0.3 | 17.0 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 10/13/2019.
Although Love played in a meager 22 games last season the similarities between his and Gallo’s line is uncanny. Considering Love was returning from a long absence it’s also safe to assume his numbers should experience an uptick this season. Still, as noted this matchup would be one of the best we’ll get to see this season between two power forwards.
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As for the new backcourt of Garland and Sexton at it’s best the Cavaliers should hope for something akin to Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum although even if comparable they would likely take a few years to develop. This season the duo will suffer growing pains as they learn each other’s tendencies, timing and gain chemistry.
Facing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chris Paul should prove daunting for the Cavaliers backcourt given the Thunder duo’s two-way ability and the height of SGA. Billy Donovan might even task a wing such as Andre Roberson or Terrance Ferguson to stop whichever of the duo is having a more productive night.
The other key factor is until season start the style of offense the revamped Cavaliers backcourt will run remains an unknown. Will they push the pace or be more deliberate in a half court style? Last season the Cavaliers worked at a snail’s pace registering 29th in the league. Shifting to increase the tempo will take time and with two young point guards could lead to turnovers. This again will benefit the Thunder.
With both games scheduled before the trade deadline, it bodes well for the OKC Thunder to capture two victories. Albeit, the second game occurs one day prior to the February 6th deadline.
The Thunder will be returning from four days off prior to the game on the 5th (January 31). Therefore, a strong indication a trade is in the works would be if players don’t dress as most teams tend to err on the side of caution. Regardless, the Thunder should still have enough talent to take both games.