The Cleveland Cavaliers can officially claim the title of the best team in the NBA. for now.
The Cavaliers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 129-122 on Wednesday in a game that lived up to its billing as best in the East versus best in the West. Normally, you would have to wait for the NBA Finals for this type of game.
The game snapped the Thunder’s 15-game winning streak, extending it to 11 games for Cleveland. The Cavaliers are now 32-4, and on their second double-digit winning streak of the season.
By the end of the first quarter, the Thunder led by seven goals. By the end of the second half, the Cavaliers led by three goals. By the end of the third period, the Cavaliers led by one point, then lost the lead on OKC’s first possession of the fourth. Neither team led by double digits, and the lead changed hands 30 times.
The best offense in the NBA beat the best defense in the NBA, with another game scheduled in just over a week. However, few observers would be surprised if these teams played four to seven more times.
It was certainly a Cavaliers game to play, with each team shooting over 50% on 90 field goal attempts. As some will note, the Thunder entered the game missing key players Chet Holmgren and Alex Caruso, and they almost made up for it with their third-best shooting performance of the season. Unfortunately for OKC, the Cavaliers’ offense ended up being a bit too comfortable with the home team’s fans behind them.
Jarrett Allen led the Cavaliers with 25 points on 9 of 11 shooting, along with 12 rebounds, six assists and three steals. He credited the Cavaliers with 36 assists on 47 field goals, finding holes in OKC’s defense that squeezed the life out of most teams they played on.
It’s possible the Thunder will bring back Holmgren and/or Caruso in time for next Thursday’s game, but Wednesday showed that you don’t need both teams to be 100 percent to have a good time. Even though the Thunder lost, they left the arena with little reason to believe they weren’t the best team in the West.