Cavaliers take down Thunder in battle of NBA's best

Field Level Media|published: Wed 8th January, 22:07 2025

Jan 8, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Caris LeVert (3) during the first half at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Jarrett Allen collected 25 points and 12 rebounds to lift the host Cleveland Cavaliers to a 129-122 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday in a battle of the top two teams in the NBA.

Evan Mobley contributed 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for the Cavaliers, who have won 11 in a row overall and improved to 11-0 against Western Conference opponents. Oklahoma City was riding a franchise-record 15-game winning streak into this matchup.

Cleveland's Darius Garland scored 18 points and Max Strus sank five 3-pointers to highlight his 17-point performance off the bench. Ty Jerome had 15 points and Donovan Mitchell finished with 11 despite making just three of 16 shots from the floor for the Cavaliers.

Oklahoma City superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points and Jalen Williams added 25, plus nine assists.

Isaiah Hartenstein notched 18 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists, and Cason Wallace scored 15 points for the Thunder, who hadn't lost since Dec. 1 at the Houston Rockets. They drop to 11-1 versus Eastern Conference foes.

Cleveland was clinging to a 125-122 lead before successfully challenging a foul called on Mitchell with 1:19 remaining in the fourth quarter. Officials deemed Mitchell did not make enough contact to warrant a foul while vying for a rebound, allowing his team to keep the ball.

Mobley made a running jumper in the lane and Garland added a finger roll layup with 27.1 seconds left to seal the win.

Oklahoma City weathered the storm after Gilgeous-Alexander committed two quick fouls to begin the third quarter, giving him four for the game. The Thunder held the fort and even forged a 100-100 tie on Aaron Wiggins' tip shot with 47 seconds left in the quarter.

Kenrich Williams' jumper gave Oklahoma City a 34-25 lead early in the second quarter before Cleveland responded with an 8-0 run. The Thunder maintained the advantage throughout the second before Allen converted an alley-oop.

Mitchell made his first field goal with an emphatic dunk to give the Cavaliers a 62-59 lead at intermission.

--Field Level Media

Latest