It has been a difficult start to the season for the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have been hit hard by injuries. Without Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Cason Wallace and Alex Caruso, they travel to Cleveland to face a Cavaliers side who have quietly made a strong start to the campaign.
Cavaliers vs Thunder date and time
Date: 2 November 2026, in the early hours of the 3rd according to UK time.
Time: These are the start times for the Cavaliers vs Thunder game by time zone.
| United Kingdom | 00:00 |
| Dominican Republic, USA (Boston, New York and Miami), Puerto Rico and Venezuela | 19:00 |
| Mexico (central), USA (Texas and Chicago), El Salvador, Costa Rica and Nicaragua | 17:00 |
| Mexico (Pacific) and USA (Los Angeles) | 15:00 |
| Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay | 20:00 |
| Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Panama | 18:00 |
Venue: Rocket Arena, Cleveland (Ohio)
Cavaliers vs Thunder starting fives
Doubts over Peyton Watson in Cleveland, a makeshift starting five in OKC.
| CAVALIERS | THUNDER |
| James Harden | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander |
| Donovan Mitchell | Jared McCain |
| Peyton Watson/Sam Merrill | Ajay Mitchell |
| Evan Mobley | Kenrich Williams |
| Jarrett Allen | Isaiah Hartenstein |
Cavaliers vs Thunder: best bet
It is difficult to pick a favourite, particularly with the Thunder suffering another injury setback every time they appear to be finding their feet. Missing three starters could prove too much for the Thunder against a Cleveland side who are unbeaten at home and aiming to secure home-court advantage in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Latest Cavaliers news: injuries and form
- Out: Jaylon Tyson, Nae’Qwan Tomlin
- Doubtful: Peyton Watson
The Cavs had an odd game the other day in Atlanta. Despite a strong opening, the Cavaliers struggled to find their rhythm whenever their starters were on the floor. There has also been some chatter over Mario Hezonja’s comments about Donovan Mitchell and his usage rate. However, those comments have had little bearing on the team’s performances on the court.
Cleveland have made a strong start, relying on solid defence when their shots aren’t falling and finding ways to create chances without depending entirely on Mitchell. James Harden can no longer dictate play for an entire game, but Evan Mobley is stepping up to take on more responsibility.
Player to watch: James Harden
It will be interesting to see how Harden takes advantage of the Thunder’s absences on the perimeter and looks to match up with Shai to tire him out and with McCain to exploit his physical advantage.
The guard has had less impact on the game in this start, but he remains crucial for a Cavaliers side with no other orchestrator on the roster. At least not at his level.
Latest Thunder news: injuries and form
- Out: Cason Wallace, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Alex Caruso, Thomas Sorber, Nikola Topic
Two defeats in a row, the latest of them a thrashing by 21 points against a Rockets side who didn’t even need to put their foot down that hard.
The absences weaken too much a team that lives off its interior size, its perimeter defence and secondary creation. Mark Daigneault has to reinvent himself to survive a very tough moment, arriving barely two weeks into a season that began tremendously promisingly for the Thunder.
Player to watch: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
It is incredible that, with the state of their injury list, the Thunder still have the resources to compete. That does not stop us pointing out that it has been a long time since Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been this alone. He regularly comes close to scoring 30 points, but the Thunder may now need him to take on an even greater scoring burden, potentially pushing towards 40 points per game during this difficult stretch.
Cavaliers vs Thunder: head-to-head record
It was not so long ago, barely two years, that this matchup stopped the world. So much has happened since then… The Thunder have won 5 of the last 6 meetings against the Cavaliers. So Cleveland have a magnificent opportunity to break the bad run.
Cavaliers vs Thunder predictions
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander over 29.5 points. Shai has gone under his points over/under in three games in a row, something that did not happen at all last season. The Thunder are going to need their great star to step up in scoring if they want a chance of winning.
Evan Mobley over 8.5 rebounds. Something extraordinary is happening with Mobley in this start to the season: against supposedly more dominant rebounding teams, that is when he is multiplying his output. He went over 10 boards against Minnesota and Rudy Gobert, as well as against Washington and Anthony Davis.
Where to watch Cavaliers vs Thunder
The game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder will be available in the UK through an NBA League Pass subscription.