Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 15-game winning streak ended against Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night. Gilgeous-Alexander took up playing in a smaller market. Like the Cavs, the Thunder don’t always get the maximum exposure as bigger teams in the market. However, that didn’t stop both teams from dominating their conferences with the two best records in the NBA. Despite Mitchell’s offensive struggles, it did not prevent Cleveland from achieving a 129-122 win.
After the Thunder snapped their impressive 15-game winning streak, the Cavaliers extended their streak to 11 while maintaining their 32-4 record, the best in the league. Gilgeous Alexander He pointed out to his backcourt mate as the main reason for Mitchell’s shortcomings.
“Le Dort Masterclass. Unfortunately, it didn’t lead to a win, but tonight he did his job as usual,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Nothing new.”
After going 0-for-5 in the first half, Mitchell found some offensive rhythm in the paint before finishing with a modest 11 points on 3-for-16 attempts, including 2-of-7 from deep. However, as Gilgeous-Alexander pointed out, the Cavaliers’ depth made the difference on their opponent, as they finished with nearly 130 points in regulation.
“When you’re a good team, you’re able to score 130 goals when your best player doesn’t have a big night,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It’s a good team for a reason.”
Jarrett Allen’s 25 points led seven Cavaliers players in double figures, including Evan Mobley (21), Darius Garland (18), Max Strus (17) and Ty Jerome (15). Dean Wade added 11 points as all five starters scored more than 11 points.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 31 points. Jalen Williams added 25 points, and Isaiah Hartenstein recorded another double-double (18 points, 11 rebounds) and added eight assists.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander addresses the Thunder’s market play
Oklahoma City Thunder related newsArticle continues below
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Thunder coach Mark Daigneault praised Cavs forward Jarrett Allen for his dominant performance that led Donovan Mitchell and the team in Wednesday’s loss. After one of the more entertaining games between two small-market teams, a reporter asked Gilgeous-Alexander about its significance.
Gilgeous-Alexander then revealed that he couldn’t imagine Playing For any other team in the NBA, according to Jason Lloyd of The Athletic.
“I can only speak for myself. I love Oklahoma City, and I can’t see a world where I’m not in Oklahoma City.” “I’m comfortable where I am. I love where I am. I like the people in the organization, I like the people around me, and those are the things that matter to me. “I go to work every day with a smile on my face. Personally, the market doesn’t matter.
“Money doesn’t matter to a certain extent. But as long as I enjoy what I’m doing at a very high level, I like the people I’m doing it with around me.
Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder will look to get back to winning ways on Friday night against the Knicks.