Thunder Put Away Mitchell-Less Cavaliers
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The Oklahoma City Thunder took on the Cleveland Cavaliers, who provided a solid challenge as they came into the matchup 30-20 on the season. Though the first half played slow, the Thunder came out on top, winning 112-100.
Donovan Mitchell missed the game for the Cavaliers, and Lu Dort missed the game for the Thunder.
The first quarter was full of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, as he scored 16 of the Thunder’s 27 points. They won the quarter 27-25. On the other hand, Evan Mobley showed his size early, scoring nine first quarter points on 5-of-5 shooting.
The pace in the second quarter was quite slow, and that’s what they want. If both teams were to play fast, the Thunder would’ve taken a solid lead in the first half.
Instead, the Cavaliers controlled the pace, and then hit the Thunder with an attack later in the half. They quickly took a ten point lead, but Gilgeous-Alexander knocked down a buzzer-beating three to cut the lead to seven points. The Cavaliers led the half 54-47.
The Thunder spent the third quarter chipping away at the lead, which took the majority of the quarter, but they ended the third frame all squared up at 78 points.
After an impressive first half, Gilgeous-Alexander scored ten points on the quarter, leaving him with 31 points through three frames. The second leading scorer was Jalen Williams and his 11 points, which included a huge poster over Isaac Okoro.
In the final frame, the Thunder would overwhelm the Cavaliers. The Thunder opened up the quarter with a 21-8 run. A timeout from the Cavaliers would slow the game down, but the Thunder were able to build a 13-point lead leading up to the timeout.
The big stretch was put together during minutes that were played without Gilgeous-Alexander. However, the momentum wouldn't stop when the lineup switched.
The Cavaliers showed some slight pushback, but the Thunder followed it up with more big plays. Jalen Williams knocked down a big 3-pointer to ensure the momentum would stay.
With a double-digit lead in the final minutes, Williams hit another 3-pointer to ice the game.
The Thunder held a big enough lead to hold the ball and play the foul game. This led to an eventual 112-100 win, pushing their record to 24-25 on the season.
Of course, Gilgeous-Alexander was the biggest player of the night. He was the reason the Thunder were able to be within striking distance in the final frame. He finished with 35 points, five rebounds and eight assists on 12-of-21 shooting.
Jalen Williams was the second leading scorer -- while knocking down some timely shots -- with 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting.
On the other hand, Jaylin Williams had an impressive night himself on both ends of the floor. He went 2-of-2 on 3-pointers.
Despite being out-sized and out-matched, the Thunder stepped up and took an impressive game over a very good team. They played one of their best defensive games of the season.
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