3. Cleveland Cavaliers (18-7)
Last Week: 3
The Cavs are finally back to full strength. It seemed like forever and it took almost one-third of the season, but Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert played together on Sunday against Philadelphia, for the first time since June. Irving scored 12 points in just 17 minutes in his season-debut, and should be able to play an extended amount of time in the big matchup against Golden State.
The Cavs are riding a five-game win-streak, and pulled off an impressive victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder last Thursday, in which LeBron James had an epic performance, with 33 points, just shy of a triple-double.
The Cavs are 12-1 at home this season, and it’s worth noting that the Cavs are 4-0 since Shumpert made his season-debut, and we’ll see how long it takes the Cavs to lose now that they have a healthy arsenal.
4. Oklahoma City Thunder (18-9)
Last Week: 4
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook carried the team Thursday night in Cleveland, taking the game down to the wire, but fell short. Serge Ibaka had a great game as well, but LeBron reminded the young duo where they stood against him, as Durant is now 4-16 in his career against James.
The Cavs and Thunder will rematch in February in Oklahoma City, so maybe OKC can get some revenge, but in the mean time, the Cavs ending OKC’s six-game win-streak was a sign that, for now, the Thunder are just a notch below the three best teams in the league.
Cavaliers
Bet on continuity paying off for Cavs
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