The highly anticipated matchup between the NBA’s leaders – the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Oklahoma City Thunder – lived up to the hype then Wednesday night in Cleveland.
Both teams entered the game riding double-digit winning streaks, and the game played like a heavyweight tilt. The score rarely went more than two possessions throughout, but a late Cavaliers rally marked by shooting and some big stops secured a 129-122 victory for the top seed in the East.
Cleveland was able to push its winning streak to 11 despite Donovan Mitchell scoring just 11 points on 3-of-16 shooting. Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley scored 46 points and grabbed 22 rebounds.
The loss ended a 15-game winning streak for the Thunder, who remained in the game until the final minute despite star goaltender Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and center Isaiah Hartenstein having serious trouble early in the second half. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with a career-high 31 points and nine assists, while Hartenstein finished two assists short of a triple-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
The two teams will meet again on January 16 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 a rematch? Will we see this matchup in June in the NBA Finals?
NBA insiders Tim Bontemps, Kevin Pelton and Brian Windhorst break down the standout matchup of the 2024-25 season so far.
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Darius Garland’s dagger is driving Cavaliers fans crazy
Cleveland fans are erupting after Darius Garland’s basket put the game away for the Thunder.
What did we learn about the Cavaliers in this game?
Bontemps: They belong. Even after the game, Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson admitted there were doubts about whether Cleveland could win this game, and whether this team was truly as good as its record showed. But in a game that Mitchell won 3-16, Cleveland was able to overcome an Oklahoma City team that had won 15 straight games and was viewed as a true title contender. After this game, doubts about Cleveland being in this category should disappear.
Belton: Max Strus gives them another playmaker. It’s hard to say the Cavaliers did Missing Strus this season, considering they were already 23-4 by the time he made his season debut on Dec. 20, but his five 3-pointers and five assists off the bench on Wednesday were making the difference. Strus was on the field down the stretch, giving Cleveland a little more upside from small forward Dean Wade and more power from sixth man Caris LeVert.
Windhorst: There is no real winner or loser in this game. Both teams showed mastery of their systems. The execution in the third quarter of this game, which OKC won 43-41, was perhaps the most technically stunning 12 minutes of midseason basketball I have ever witnessed. The Cavaliers walking away with a win is meaningful, but they’ll admit there’s very little room between these teams. Cleveland’s ability to run their offense and generate a record amount of open looks with their tight passing and spacing in the face of such a stellar defense was perhaps most rewarding for them.
What did we learn about the Thunder in this game?
Bontemps: Chet Holmgren remains the second most important player on this team. Cleveland absolutely dominated this game, with Allen and Mobley scoring 46 points on 17-for-21 shooting from two-point shooting. Hartenstein is an excellent big man, but he’s the only true center other than Holmgren in the Thunder’s starting rotation. If OKC had put them on the court together in this game, it could have made the difference.
Belton: They can survive for a long time without a front-runner MVP. Leading by one point when Gilgeous-Alexander went to the bench and committed four fouls midway through the third quarter, Oklahoma City fell behind by six fouls at one point but tied the game by the time Gilgeous-Alexander returned about five minutes later. Despite Gilgeous-Alexander’s low foul rate, the Thunder will likely face a similar situation at some point in the postseason and can point to this moment as an example of what they can do without their star.
Windhorst: The Thunder sorely missed Holmgren in this game. In addition to the big games the Cavaliers played — Allen played his second impressive game last week, including beating Anthony Davis on New Year’s Eve — it was hard not to imagine how things would be different if OKC could match the Cavaliers’ double-double. BIG VIEW . OKC is 15-2 in their last 17 games, including an NBA Cup loss to Milwaukee. Volume was a big factor in both, and they already had the solution on their list.
What’s the one thing we should be keeping an eye on in next week’s rematch?
Bontemps: A chess match between Cleveland’s dominance on the glass and Oklahoma City’s typical dominance in the turnover battle. The Thunder are obsessed with winning the possession game, and they usually do. In this game, both teams made 90 shots, but the Cavaliers made 10 more free throws. Oklahoma City forced 15 turnovers for 21 points, but Cleveland forced 19 for 21. Cleveland’s edges on points in the paint (60 to 54) and second-chance points (24 to 20) were the difference. The same formulas will be applied next week.
Belton: Better defense. In practice, it’s not really true that the best attacks beat the best defenses. Since the 1996-97 season, the top five offenses have averaged nearly the league average points per possession in games against the top five defenses. If we limit that to the No. 1 offense (like Cleveland this season) against the No. 2 defense (Oklahoma City), it’s about 1% better than average. However, the Cavaliers have outdone their efficiency all season, shooting 52% from the field and 42% from 3, while the Thunder (53% from the field, 35.5% on 3s) aren’t far behind. It’s unlikely we’ll see both teams shoot the ball with that accuracy in Oklahoma City.
Windhorst: I’d be surprised if the Thunder allow 129 points on their home court. The Cavaliers were repeatedly able to beat them with the “second pass,” especially when they came out of the pick-and-roll and beat Oklahoma City’s defense around the rim. This led to many deep entry passes for easy baskets or situations where the Thunder had to foul. I expect they will be better prepared for that next week.
Was this a preview of the finals?
Bontemps: It might be — which is something I probably wouldn’t have said 24 hours ago. Cleveland showed a lot in this game. Mobley showed that he is an All-Star lock. The Cavaliers took every punch from the Thunder and came back stronger. The result was a 32nd win in 36 matches. I wrote about the comparisons between this team and the 2014-15 Golden State Warriors team before Wednesday. These Warriors came out of nowhere, were in doubt all this season and finally won the title. I wouldn’t say Cleveland will do it now, but I will say the Cavaliers are good enough to make it to June.
Belton: I would still bet against it even at odds. Projections using ESPN’s Basketball Power Index give these teams the two best chances to reach the Finals, yet still show this particular matchup happening only 35% of the time. I’ll pick the Boston Celtics over the Cavaliers to win the East. Although the Thunder are the clear favorites in the West, there is a lot that could happen to change that between now and late May.
Windhorst: I don’t say a bad word about either of these teams out of respect after watching this show. I also don’t expect finals in January. But I’ll give them this: There’s been more than one championship team I’ve seen over the past two decades that couldn’t beat these two.