Cleveland Cavaliers at Oklahoma City Thunder
This is the game the NBA had circled on the calendar when they built the second-half schedule. Cleveland rolls into Paycom Center riding a scorching 7-0 straight-up streak since the blockbuster James Harden trade, looking like a team that finally figured out what it wants to be. On the other side, the Oklahoma City Thunder sit at 43-14, owners of the best record in the entire NBA and the reigning champions who haven't shown any signs of slowing down this season. The 6.5-point spread tells you Vegas respects both teams but recognizes the brutal reality of playing in Oklahoma City, where the Thunder have been an absolute buzzsaw all year long.
What makes this Sunday afternoon showdown so intriguing isn't just the talent on the floor, it's the timing. Both teams are coming off the All-Star break, which means fresh legs, recalibrated rotations, and the kind of intensity that defines the stretch run. Cleveland had their first full practice with Harden integrated into the offense coming out of the break, and everything about the Cavaliers' body language suggests they believe they've added the missing piece to a legitimate championship puzzle. For OKC, the question is simpler: can anyone in the league actually challenge them on their home floor? The Thunder's dominance at Paycom Center has been borderline historic, and they'll want to make a statement in the first nationally televised game of the second half.
Let's be honest about what happened on February 4. The Cavaliers didn't just add a player. They added a 10-time All-Star, a former MVP, and one of the greatest playmakers in NBA history. When Cleveland shipped Darius Garland to the Clippers and brought back James Harden, Keon Ellis, and Dennis Schroder, they sent a message to the entire Eastern Conference: we're going all in, and we're going right now. The results have been immediate and impossible to ignore. Harden is averaging 19.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 8.7 assists with Cleveland, and the Cavaliers haven't lost a single game since he arrived.
Here's what the numbers don't fully capture: it's not just that Harden scores and distributes. It's that his presence on the floor has completely unlocked Donovan Mitchell. Before the trade, Mitchell was operating as both the primary scorer and the primary creator, which meant he was burning enormous amounts of energy initiating offense. Now? Harden brings the ball up, runs pick-and-roll, draws attention, and finds Mitchell coming off screens or spotting up in space. Mitchell is averaging 28.8 points per game this season, but the way he's been getting those points since Harden arrived looks completely different. Fewer contested pull-ups, more catch-and-shoot threes, more explosive drives against a defense that's already tilted toward the other side of the floor. The Cavaliers had their first full practice with Harden coming out of the All-Star break, and the early returns suggest this partnership is only going to get better as the chemistry deepens.
The Cavaliers are 7-0 SU since acquiring Harden and 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games. They're playing with the kind of confidence and cohesion that makes them dangerous against anyone, and the addition of Harden's floor generalship has transformed a team that was already good into something that looks genuinely scary heading into the playoff push.
There's no delicate way to put this: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is having one of the most dominant individual seasons in recent NBA memory. The reigning MVP is putting up 31.8-32.1 points per game alongside 4.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists, and he's doing it with the kind of ruthless efficiency that makes defenders look helpless. SGA doesn't just score, he hunts. His mid-range game is a weapon of mass destruction, his ability to get to the free throw line is elite, and his defensive intensity on the other end makes him arguably the most complete two-way player in basketball right now. When the Thunder handed him the franchise, they bet on transcendence. They got it.
The wrinkle heading into this game is the abdominal strain that has kept SGA's status uncertain. He's being re-evaluated after the All-Star break, and his availability for this game is the single biggest variable on the entire board. If SGA plays at full strength, the Thunder are a machine that grinds teams into dust at home, and the 6.5-point spread probably isn't big enough. If he's limited or sits, OKC still has enough talent to compete, but the dynamic changes dramatically. The Thunder went 3-1 during his four-game absence earlier this season, but that stretch came against lesser competition, not a rolling Cavaliers squad with Harden orchestrating the offense. Keep your eyes on the injury report right up until tip-off, because this game could look entirely different depending on whether number two takes the floor.
Cleveland Cavaliers (36-21)
Oklahoma City Thunder (43-14)
The backcourt matchup between Mitchell and SGA is the headliner, and it should be electric if both are healthy. These are two of the five best scorers in the NBA, both capable of going for 40 on any given night, and both operating at peak efficiency this season. But the real chess match might be happening in the frontcourt, where Evan Mobley's return from his calf strain gives Cleveland a defensive anchor who can switch onto virtually anyone on the Thunder roster. Mobley's ability to guard the perimeter while also protecting the rim is the kind of versatility that makes life difficult for OKC's motion offense.
Then there's the Chet Holmgren factor. The 7-foot-1 Thunder center can step out and shoot threes, which drags Jarrett Allen away from the basket and opens driving lanes for SGA and Jalen Williams. If Allen stays home to protect the rim, Holmgren makes him pay from beyond the arc. If Allen chases him out to the perimeter, the paint opens up. It's a dilemma the Cavaliers have struggled with in past meetings, and it's a big reason why Cleveland is just 1-5 SU in their last six games against OKC. The Thunder's offensive architecture is specifically designed to create these unsolvable problems, and even the addition of Harden may not fully address the structural challenges Cleveland faces against this roster.
Cleveland is 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games, riding the post-Harden wave.
OKC is 14-6 ATS in their last 20 Sunday games, historically dominant in afternoon national TV spots.
The over has hit in 4 of OKC's last 5 games against Cleveland.
Cleveland is 1-5 SU in their last 6 meetings vs OKC, struggling mightily in this series.
The 6.5-point spread is the most interesting number on this board. It's big enough to acknowledge that OKC is the superior team at home, but small enough to give Cleveland real hope of covering given the firepower they're bringing. The Cavaliers' 8-3 ATS record in their last 11 suggests the market has been undervaluing them since the Harden acquisition, and there's a case to be made that the public hasn't fully adjusted to what this team looks like now versus what it looked like three weeks ago. On the other hand, OKC's 14-6 ATS mark in their last 20 Sunday games is remarkable, and the Thunder have historically elevated their play in nationally televised spots at Paycom Center.
The total of 234.5 is worth dissecting. These two teams have combined for some big scoring outputs in their recent meetings, with the over cashing in 4 of the last 5 head-to-head contests. Cleveland's offense has been supercharged since adding Harden, and OKC's attack led by SGA doesn't exactly slow down for anyone. But this is the first game back from the All-Star break for both teams, and first-game-back scripts often feature sloppy half-court possessions, rusty shooting in the early going, and coaches who are more focused on getting everyone re-acclimated than on pushing tempo. The 234.5 feels like a coin flip, but the historical head-to-head data leans toward the over.
1. Win the Harden-SGA Minutes. When Harden is on the floor and SGA is on the bench, that's Cleveland's opportunity to build a lead or erase a deficit. Harden running the second-unit offense gives the Cavaliers a massive edge in those stretches, and maximizing those minutes could be the difference between covering and going home empty.
2. Get Mobley Involved Early. If Evan Mobley is healthy enough to play his full allotment of minutes, Cleveland needs to feature him early in the shot clock. His mid-range game forces Holmgren to guard the perimeter, which neutralizes OKC's rim protection advantage and opens up driving lanes for Mitchell and Harden. An aggressive Mobley changes the entire geometry of this game.
3. Limit Transition Opportunities. The Thunder are lethal in the open floor, and SGA in transition is one of the most unstoppable forces in the sport. Cleveland has to value every possession, limit turnovers, and make this a half-court game where their own talent can compete shot-for-shot. If this turns into a track meet, OKC's athleticism wins.
1. Attack the Harden-Mitchell Defensive Pairing. Neither Harden nor Mitchell is elite defensively, and when both are on the floor together, there's a weak link to exploit. OKC's motion offense should target whichever Cavalier guard is defending SGA's off-ball actions, forcing switches and mismatches that the Thunder's spacing can punish.
2. Use Holmgren's Floor Spacing. Chet Holmgren's ability to shoot threes from the center position is OKC's cheat code. If Jarrett Allen sags off Holmgren to protect the paint, Chet needs to make him pay. Every time Allen is pulled away from the basket, it opens the lane for SGA and Williams to attack downhill with force.
3. Control the Glass. Cleveland has size with Allen and Mobley, and second-chance points could keep the Cavaliers in this game even if they're not shooting well. OKC needs to be disciplined on the defensive boards and push the pace off misses to prevent Cleveland from grinding this into a low-possession affair that favors the visitors.
This is a game that tells us exactly where we are in the NBA season. The defending champion Thunder, led by the reigning MVP, hosting a red-hot Cavaliers team that just made the biggest splash of the trade deadline and hasn't lost since. It's a first-place-versus-contender showdown on ABC, the kind of game that draws 5 million viewers and reminds everyone why the NBA's regular season still matters when the stakes are real. Cleveland's 7-0 streak since acquiring Harden is legitimately impressive, but that streak hasn't been tested by anything close to what OKC presents. The Thunder are 43-14 for a reason, and that reason is a 6-foot-6 Canadian who might be the best basketball player on the planet right now.
The SGA injury situation is the elephant in the room. If he plays and looks like himself, OKC is going to be extraordinarily difficult to beat on their home floor, and the 6.5 points might not be enough for Cleveland to cover. If he's limited, this becomes a pick-em game between two extremely talented rosters, and the Cavaliers' momentum and Harden's playmaking could give them a legitimate shot at the outright upset. Either way, this is must-watch basketball. Two teams that genuinely believe they can win a championship, meeting at the perfect moment to prove it. The first game after the All-Star break doesn't always deliver fireworks, but with this much talent and this much on the line, don't be surprised if this one becomes the game of the week.
Frequently Asked Questions - Cavaliers vs Thunder February 22 2026
What time do the Cavaliers play the Thunder on February 22 2026?
The Cleveland Cavaliers play the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, February 22, 2026 at 1:00 PM ET on ABC at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.
What is the spread for Cavaliers vs Thunder February 22 2026?
The Oklahoma City Thunder are 6.5-point home favorites against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The moneyline is OKC -250 / CLE +200, with an over/under of 234.5.
Is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander playing against the Cavaliers on February 22?
SGA has been dealing with an abdominal strain and is being re-evaluated after the All-Star break. His status for the February 22 game is uncertain pending evaluation.
How has James Harden played since being traded to the Cavaliers?
Since being traded from the Clippers to Cleveland on February 4, James Harden has averaged 19.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 8.7 APG with the Cavaliers. Cleveland has gone on a 7-0 SU streak since acquiring him.
What is the Cavaliers record against the Thunder recently?
The Cleveland Cavaliers are just 1-5 SU in their last six meetings against the Oklahoma City Thunder. OKC has dominated this series recently.
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