Entering Wednesday’s game in Cleveland, AL thunder won 15 straight games (not including the NBA Cup Final, which doesn’t count toward a team’s record season record), while… Cavaliers He has won 10 in a row. This was the first time in NBA history that two teams faced off with such a long streak of wins on the streak.
In a high-profile matchup that featured 30 lead changes and eight ties, the Cavaliers emerged victorious in the marquee showdown, firmly establishing their claim as the best team in the league, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
“I don’t know where to rank them, but they definitely deserve their own record“, Thunder Forward Jalen Williams He said. “You don’t get to 32-4 by accident“.
As Vardon writes, several players from both teams shined throughout the game, but in the middle of Cleveland Jarrett Allen He had perhaps his best individual performance, posting 25 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, three steals and a block with no turnovers in 32 minutes. He shot 9 of 11 from the field and 7 of 10 from the free throw line.
On a night in it Donovan Mitchell Struggling uncharacteristically, scoring just 11 points on 3-of-16 shooting, the Cavaliers received major contributions off the bench from Max Strauss (17 points on 6-of-7 shooting) and Ty Jerome (15 points on 6-of-7 shooting), Vardon notes.
“I told everyone after the game, as a unit we didn’t win this game last yearMitchell said. “Everyone who attended did something positive to impact the game. …This is a win for the team. This is what it takes to become the team we want to be“.
Here’s more about Cleveland:
- ESPN insiders Tim Bontemps, Kevin Pelton and Brian Windhorst We shared their takeaways from the match between Cleveland and Oklahoma City, which many observers described as the best game of the 2024/25 season. The two teams will have a rematch in OKC next week (January 16).
- After Wednesday’s win, point guard Darius Garland He said he should be an All-Star and he’s not the only rider who deserves that honor; Tweet Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “I try to be as humble as possibleGarland said. “But…yeah, I should be an All-Star. Yes. There should be four of us on this all-star teamAlthough he did not explicitly state it, Garland was referring to himself, Mitchell, Allen, and… Evan Mobleywho was also great on Wednesday (21 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists).
- Garland backed up that statement by leading the Cavaliers to their 12th straight win Thursday against Toronto, raising the team’s record to 33-4, Fedor wrote for Cleveland.com (Subscriber link). Mitchell sat out the second game of the back-to-back to rest. Garland, who turns 25 later this month, scored a season-high 40 points (in terms of elite efficiency) while dishing out nine assists in the six-point win. Cleveland outscored Toronto by 18 points in 36 minutes of play.