The highly anticipated showdown between the NBA division leaders Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder finally got underway on Wednesday night in Cleveland.
Both teams came into the game on double-digit winning streaks, with the contest going down with a heavyweight tilt. The score was rarely more than two possessions throughout the game, but the Cavaliers relied on key shots and several big stops in the final moments to ensure the top seed in the East won 129-122.
Cleveland extended its winning streak to 11 games despite Donovan Mitchell scoring just 11 points on 3-for-16 shooting. Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley made up for the shortfall, combining for 46 points and 22 rebounds.
The loss ended a 15-game winning streak for the Thunder, which held on until the end despite fouls on star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and center Isaiah Hartenstein early in the second half. Gilgeous-Alexander had a game-high 31 points and nine assists, while Hartenstein was just two assists shy of a triple-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
The teams will meet again on January 16th in Oklahoma City, but first let’s take a closer look at tonight’s game. What did we learn about each team tonight? What should we look for in the bubble? Will we see this matchup in the NBA Finals in June?
Our NBA insiders Tim Bontemps, Kevin Pelton and Brian Windhorst break down the top matchups so far in the 2024-25 season .
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Darius Garland’s dagger sends Cavaliers fans into a frenzy
A clutch shot from Darius Garland had Cleveland fans erupting against the Thunder.
What did we learn about the Cavaliers from this game?
Bondang: They belong. Even after the game, Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson admitted there were doubts about whether Cleveland could win this game and whether this team was really as good as its record suggested. But behind Mitchell’s 3-for-16 shooting, Cleveland defeated an Oklahoma City team that had won 15 straight games and was viewed as a legitimate title contender. After this game, any doubts about whether Cleveland falls into that category should be no more.
Pelton: Max Strouse gives them another playmaker. It’s hard to say the Cavaliers have missed Struss was already 23-4 this season when he made his debut on Dec. 20, but he was instrumental Wednesday with five 3-pointers and five assists off the bench. Having Struss on the floor late in the game gave Cleveland an advantage over starting small forward Dean Wade and more power over sixth man Caris LeVert.
Windhorst: There is no real winner or loser in this game. Both teams demonstrated mastery of their systems. The execution of the third quarter of this game, which the Thunder won 43-41, was perhaps the most technically brilliant 12 minutes of midseason basketball I’ve ever seen. It makes sense for the Cavaliers to win, but they acknowledge there is little space between these teams. Cleveland’s ability to run an offense against such a good defense and create a standard amount of open looks with tight passing and spacing may be the most valuable thing to them.
What did we learn about the Thunder from this game?
Bondang: Chet Holmgren remains the team’s second most important player. Cleveland absolutely dominated this game in the paint, with Allen and Mobley scoring 46 points on 17-of-21 two-pointers. Hartenstein is an excellent big man, but he is the only true center besides Holmgren in the Thunder’s core rotation. If the Thunder had played them together in this game, things might have been different.
Pelton: They can go a while without their MVP front-runner. Oklahoma City trailed by six points when Gilgeous-Alexander went to the bench with four fouls midway through the third quarter, but tied the game when Gilgeous-Alexander returned nearly five minutes later. Despite Gilgeous-Alexander’s low foul rate, the Thunder will likely face a similar situation at some point in the playoffs and can look to this moment as an example of what they can do without their star player .
Windhorst: The Thunder will miss Holmgren sorely in this game. Beyond the performance of the Cavaliers’ big men — Allen had his second big game in the past week, including beating Anthony Davis on New Year’s Eve — it’s hard not to imagine if the Thunder could match up with the Cavaliers In the doubles match, things will be different – in a big way. The Thunder are 15-2 in their last 17 games, including an NBA Cup loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Scale is an important factor for both, and they already have solutions on their roster.
What should we pay attention to in next week’s rematch?
Bondang: A chess game between Cleveland’s dominance on the glass and Oklahoma City’s typical dominance in the turnover battle. The Thunder are obsessed with winning possession, and they usually do just that. In this game, the two teams took 90 shots, but the Cavaliers took 10 more free throws. Oklahoma City forced 15 turnovers and scored 21 points, but Cleveland forced 19 turnovers and scored 21 points. Cleveland’s advantage in scoring in the paint (60 to 54) and second-chance points (24 to 20) was the difference. The same formula will apply next week.
Pelton: Better defense. In practice, it’s not true that the best offense beats the best defense. Since the 1996-97 season, teams with a top-five offense have scored nearly as many points per possession as the league average against teams with a top-five defense. If we limit that to situations where the first offense (like Cleveland this season) plays against the second defense (Oklahoma City), that’s about 1% better than average. However, the Cavaliers shattered their season-long efficiency mark, shooting 52% from the field and 42% from three-point range, and the Thunder (53% from the field, 35.5% from three-point range) weren’t far behind. . It’s unlikely we’ll see either team shoot this accurately in Oklahoma City.
Windhorst: I would be surprised if the Thunder gave up 129 points at home. The Cavaliers were able to beat them on the “second pass” multiple times, especially when they came out of the pick-and-roll and beat Oklahoma City’s help defense at the rim. This resulted in a lot of deep passes for easy scores or situations where the Thunder had to foul. I hope they’ll be better prepared for it next week.
Is this a preview of the finals?
Bondang: Probably – this is something I probably wouldn’t have said 24 hours ago. Cleveland was outstanding in this game. Mobley proved he was a lock for the All-Star Game. The Cavaliers took every punch the Thunder threw and came back stronger. The result was the 32nd win in 36 games. I wrote about the comparisons between this team and the 2014-15 Golden State Warriors before Wednesday. These Warriors came out of nowhere, were questioned all season long, and ended up winning a championship. I wouldn’t say Cleveland will do that now, but I will say the Cavaliers are good enough to hold out until June.
Pelton: I’d still take an even bet against it. Predictions using ESPN’s Basketball Power Index give these teams the best two chances of reaching the Finals, but still show a mere 35 percent chance of this particular matchup happening. I would pick the Boston Celtics over the Cavaliers to win the Eastern Conference. While the Thunder are the clear favorite in the West, there are a lot of things that could change that between now and late May.
Windhorst: After watching that game, out of respect, I’m not saying anything bad about either team. I also didn’t predict the finals in January. But here’s what I’ll tell them: Over the past two decades, I’ve seen more than one championship team fail to beat these two teams.
