The two best teams in the NBA - the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder - meet in a matchup that promises to be every bit as exciting as the last meeting between these teams a week ago.
NBA fans around the world stopped everything last week to tune in to see the best in the East against the best in the West, a match-up that many billed as a sneak preview of the NBA Finals.
And the teams delivered on the hype. It ended in a 129-122 Cavs win, with both teams shooting the lights out while playing tight defense.
We get to do it all over again Thursday night and once more, this matchup looks unmissable.
The home team won in last week's matchup but, if you didn't tune in, that score doesn't tell you anything.
In one of the most absorbing regular-season contests in years between two teams at the peak of their powers, the lead changed hands 30 times. Neither team led by more than nine.
So now we go again with the rematch, this time at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, where the hosts have a 16-2 record (33-6 overall). Suiting up against them are the 34-5 Cavs, who are 14-3 on the road.
This is part two of a brutal three-game road trip for Cleveland, though it started well enough with Tuesday's 127-117 revenge mission in Indiana as the Cavs got payback for a shock home loss to the Pacers just a couple of days earlier.
The Thunder are back on home court after their own four-game road trip that started with that mesmerizing loss to Cleveland, which they followed up with comprehensive wins over the New York Knicks, Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers.
So why should Cleveland win? Well, they did it last week and that was minus much of an impact from Donovan Mitchell, who scored just 11 points on 18.8 percent shooting.
The Cavs put 129 points on the best defense in the league and limited OKC to just 11/31 from three-point range.
They keep being told they are just keeping top spot in the east warm for the Celtics, and they just keep proving everyone wrong.
As a footnote, they are also 100 percent (3-0) on the spread as a 2.5-point underdog or over.
So why should Oklahoma City deliver?
A sold-out Paycom Center will provide the energy, MVP-in-waiting Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to put up remarkable numbers, and the best defense in the league will make the tweaks necessary to disrupt the Cavs more than they could in Cleveland.
The Thunder should look fresher and sharper while delivering the statement win they want.
He'll never get the headlines garnered by SGA, but everyone in Oklahoma City recognizes the value of their former Sixers bench warmer Isaiah Joe.
Picked up after he was released by Philadelphia in 2022, Joe has become a valued and respected member of the OKC group with teammate Alex Caruso suggesting he is blessed with a "superhero trait".
That's high praise but the numbers and the performances back it up. The shooting guard got 25 minutes against Cleveland last week and weighed in with eight points, seven rebounds and three assists.
Over the last 10 games, he is averaging 10.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists and is an impact player who is totally trusted by everyone in the Thunder locker room.
A big-game player who can make a big-game contribution, take him to go Over 12.5 points, assists and rebounds.
Oklahoma City failed to show their teeth in Cleveland, where the Thunder defense that allows an average of 103 points per game gave up 129.
That is unlikely to happen on home court, where they have shipped an average of 101 points per game since the end of November.
They will attempt to put Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland under immense pressure and can succeed to the extent that Garland looks overrated at 19.5 points.
He is averaging 23 points this season but 19.1 on the road and scored 18 against OKC last time. Take him to go Under 19.5 points in Oklahoma City.
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Oklahoma City Thunder | -150 ML |
Cleveland Cavaliers | +125 ML |
Spread | OKC Thunder -3.0 |
Total Points | O/U 232.5 |
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC Thunder) | O/U 32.5 |
Jalen Williams (OKC Thunder) | O/U 21.5 |
Isaiah Joe (OKC Thunder) | O/U 8.5 |
Donovan Mitchell (CLE Cavaliers) | O/U 21.5 |
Jarrett Allen (CLE Cavaliers) | O/U 13.5 |
Darius Garland (CLE Cavaliers) | O/U 19.5 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.