Cleveland Cavaliers vs Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction, 2/22/2026 Preview and Pick

Game: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Oklahoma City Thunder

Date: Sunday, February 22, 2026

Location: Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK

TV: ABC

Paycom Center is the site where the Oklahoma City Thunder (42-14) will go up against the Cleveland Cavaliers (34-21) on Sunday.

The Cavaliers stepped onto the hardwood against the Wizards and went home with a win by a final score of 138-113 in their last contest. Cleveland wrapped up the game having earned a 54.2% FG percentage (45 out of 83) and made 16 out of their 38 3-point shots. From the free throw line, the Cavaliers converted 32 of 37 shots for a rate of 86.5%. In reference to pulling down boards, they compiled a total of 51 with 16 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 30 assists for this contest in addition to forcing 15 turnovers and having 9 steals. In relation to defending, Cleveland allowed the other team to go 40.4% from the floor on 42 out of 104 shooting. Washington dished out 26 dimes and had 13 steals for this game. Moreover, Washington totaled 40 boards (19 offensive, 21 defensive) and got 8 blocks. Washington finished the contest at 83.3% at the free throw line by making 15 of their 18 tries. They also knocked down 14 of 46 attempts from three-point range. Regarding personal fouls, the Cavaliers left the arena with 15 and the Wizards finished the game with 21 personal fouls.

Sam Merrill is one guy who was a major contributor for this contest. He accumulated 32 points on 11 out of 12 shooting. He played 25 minutes and pulled down 5 rebounds. Merrill finished shooting 91.7% from the floor and also earned 1 assist.

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Cleveland heads into this one with a record of 34-21 this season. They have an average of 120.0 points per game (2nd in the league) while hitting 47.6% from the floor. The Cavaliers are shooting 35.8% on shots from downtown (809 of 2,258) and 78.4% from the charity stripe. As a team, Cleveland is pulling down 44.6 boards per game and is sitting with 1,574 dimes on the season, which is 7th in the league in terms of passing the rock. They turn it over 14.5 times per contest and as a squad are committing 20.0 fouls per contest.

On the defensive end of the court, the Cavaliers are forcing 15.9 turnovers per game while drawing 20.2 fouls. They are ranked 17th in the league in allowing assists to the opposition with 1,470 relinquished for the season. The Cavaliers defensively are giving up a FG percentage of 46.3% (2,283 of 4,930) and they surrender 44.0 boards per contest as a squad. They concede 37.2% on 3-pointers while they are 17th in basketball in points per game allowed (115.9).

When they last stepped on the court, the Thunder walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 110-93 when they faced the Bucks. The Thunder were able to pull down 33 defensive rebounds and 14 offensive rebounds for a total of 47 for this game. They also gave up possession 16 times, while getting 3 steals for this game. The Bucks had 17 fouls for the game which took the Thunder to the free throw line for a total of 20 tries. They were able to convert 16 of the free throws for a percentage of 80.0%. With regard to shooting from distance, Oklahoma City made 15 of 45 tries (33.3%). When the final whistle blew, the Thunder shot 31 out of 83 from the field which gave them a rate of 37.3%. The Thunder permitted the Bucks to make 44 of their 95 tries from the floor which had them shooting 46.3% in this game. They finished the game shooting 40.5% from 3-point land by shooting 17 of 42 and ended up shooting 5 of 7 at the free throw line (71.4%). When discussing cleaning the glass, Oklahoma City allowed Milwaukee to collect 49 in all (15 offensive).

Isaiah Joe ended up having an impact for the Thunder in the game. Joe earned 17 points in his 29 mins on the hardwood and accounted for 2 assists in the game. He made 5 out of 11 for this game giving him a field goal percentage of 45.5%, and earned 4 rebounds.

Oklahoma City has a win-loss record of 42-14 for the year. The Thunder are responsible for committing 19.4 personal fouls every game while shooting 82.1% from the charity stripe. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 25.5 times per game (18th in the league) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 12.5 times per game. Oklahoma City has tallied 6,703 pts on the campaign (119.7 per contest) and they collect 43.7 rebounds per contest. In terms of offensive execution, the Thunder are shooting 48.7% from the field, which is ranked 3rd in the NBA.

The Thunder on the defensive end are ranked 1st in the league in PPG given up with 108.0. They are able to force 17.0 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 43.5% from the field (1st in the league). The Oklahoma City defense concedes 37.1% on 3-point shots (808 of 2,177) and their opposition makes 74.7% of their free throw shots. They allow 24.9 dimes and 45.5 boards per contest, which has them ranked 6th and 24th in basketball.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Cleveland

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