3 Best NBA Bets and Player Props for Cavaliers at Thunder

Even within a single NBA game, betting markets are abundant.

You can bet traditional markets like the spread or the total, but we've also got tons of player-prop markets to sift through.

Which bets stand out today as the Cleveland Cavaliers take on the Oklahoma City Thunder?

Let's dig into the best bets in FanDuel Sportsbook's NBA betting odds, utilizing FanDuel Research's NBA projections to try to find value.

Cavaliers at Thunder Betting Picks

Cavaliers Moneyline (+102)

Along with carrying the best records in the NBA, the Cavaliers and Thunder rank as numberFire's two best teams in nERD-based power rankings. According to FanDuel Sportsbook's odds to win the NBA Finals, Cleveland has the third-shortest odds (+750) while Oklahoma City sports the second-shortest odds (+270).

We can only hope that tonight's game is on the same level as the January 8 matchup, which the Cavs won 129-122. The previous matchup had a playoff-like atmosphere, and the result was like splitting hairs. Both squads attempted 90 shots; the Thunder made 48 while the Cavaliers drained 47. Cleveland was able to snag two more rebounds and three more offensive boards while winning the paint battle by six points.

The interior is where I'd like to focus for Thursday's collision. OKC has two key injuries in the frontcourt as Chet Holmgren (hip) and Isaiah Hartenstein (calf) will be out tonight. Not only will the Thunder be without their top two centers, Chet and Hartenstein lead the team in rebounds by a wide margin. Holmgren logs 8.7 rebounds per game (RPG) compared to Hartenstein's team-high 12.2 RPG. The next-best mark? Jalen Williams at only 5.7 RPG. Holmgren (99.2 defensive rating) and Hartenstein (102.1 defensive rating) boast elite defensive numbers, too.

Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley form one of the league's best frontcourts. Scoring the seventh-most points in the paint per game, the Cavs are more than capable of taking advantage of Oklahoma's injuries at center. Allen takes 92.5% of his shots within 10 feet of the basket, and Mobley isn't far behind at 71.7%.

A size advantage could prove to be an issue, too. The Thunder's starting frontcourt tonight will likely be Jalen Williams (6'5") and Jaylin Williams (6'9"). Meanwhile, Mobley stands at 6'11" while Allen is 6'9" with a 7-foot-6 wingspan compared to Jaylin Williams' 7-foot-1 wingspan.

About 65% of moneyline picks at FanDuel Sportsbook are on OKC. However, the Thunder's frontcourt injuries should aid Cleveland. The Thunder already lost the paint and rebound battles in the last matchup, and this should only become an even larger issue with Hartenstein joining Holmgren on the injury report.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Over 5.5 Rebounds (-122)

While I expect the Cavs to sneak out of Oklahoma City with a win, this should be another close one. With that said, someone is going to have to rebound for the Thunder.

Even when Holmgren and/or Hartenstein have been active, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has still attacked the glass with 5.5 RPG. His prop is set right at his average for Thursday. This is gearing up to be a promising bet compared to Jalen Williams' 6.5-board line.

Considering Oklahoma City is without its top two rebounders, it's reasonable to expect Shai to surpass his usual board numbers. In fact, Gilgeous-Alexander has gone over 5.5 rebounds in two of his last five games and is slightly over his season-long average during the span (5.8 RPG).

He's got a size advantage against Cleveland's backcourt, too. At 6'6" with a 6-foot-11 wingspan, Shai shouldn't have a problem grabbing rebounds over the 6'1" Darius Garland and/or 6'3" Donovan Mitchell.

Looking at advanced rebounding numbers, Gilgeous-Alexander is putting up similar numbers to forwards on the glass. For example, he's racking up 9.8 rebounds chances per game. That's on the same level of players like Lauri Markkanen (10.0), Paul George (10.0), and Kevin Durant (9.9).

Simply put, the Thunder have their guard putting up forward-like rebound numbers -- yet another reason why Shai has the shortest NBA MVP odds (-180).

Jarrett Allen Over 13.5 Points (-111)

Going back to our concerns about Oklahoma City's interior defense, this should mean a big night for Jarrett Allen. He takes more than 90.0% of his shots within 10 feet of the basket while boasting a 70.4% field goal percentage (FG%).

While the Thunder allow the fewest points in the paint per game (42.3), OKC's interior defense will likely be a far cry from its peak. We already saw the Cavaliers go way above this average in January 8's matchup by recording 60 points in the paint, and this was when Hartenstein was active.

Allen had his fingerprints all over that game, finishing with a team-high 25 points and 11 rebounds. He's averaging 16.7 PPG in January while reaching at least 18 points in three of the last five.

Shooting free throws has been a big part of his game this month, averaging 5.0 free-throw attempts per contest. OKC's defense has been elite with the top defensive rating in the NBA, but it logs the eighth-most fouls per contest while surrendering the fifth-most field goal attempts per game. As mentioned, the OKC frontcourt is undersized for tonight's game, which could mean even more fouls around the rim.

Among qualifying players, Jaylin Williams -- who will likely be Allen's primary defender -- has the highest defensive rating (107.3) on the Thunder.

Everything is pointing to another strong scoring night for Allen.

Our NBA projections have Cleveland's center totaling 14.0 points. If correct, this holds a 53.6% implied probability (or -116 odds) for over 13.5 points. That's decent value compared to FanDuel Sportsbook's -111 odds (or 52.6% implied probability) for the over.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.