Jarrett Allen scored 25 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead the host Cleveland Cavaliers to a 129-122 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, on Wednesday, in a struggle between the top two teams in the NBA.
Evan Mobley contributed 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for the Cavaliers, who have won 11 straight games overall and improved to 11-0 against Western Conference opponents. Oklahoma City was on a 15-game winning streak going into this matchup.
Cleveland’s Darius Garland scored 18 points and Max Strus added five three-pointers to highlight his 17-point performance off the bench. Ty Jerome scored 15 points and Donovan Mitchell finished with 11, even though he made just three of 16 shots for the Cavaliers.
Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points, and Jalen Williams added 25 points in addition to nine assists.
Isaiah Hartenstein scored 18 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and provided eight assists, and Keason Wallace scored 15 points for the Thunder, who have not lost since December 1 to the Houston Rockets. They fall to 11-1 versus Eastern Conference opponents.
Cleveland held on to a 125-122 lead before successfully challenging a Mitchell foul with 1:19 remaining in the fourth quarter. The officials deemed that Mitchell did not make enough contact to warrant a foul while competing for the rebound, allowing his team to retain possession.
Mobley made a running jumper in the lane and Garland added a finger-tip layup with 27.1 seconds left to seal the win.
Oklahoma City weathered the storm after Gilgeous-Alexander committed two quick fouls early in the third quarter, giving them four fouls for the game. The Thunder held down the fort and tied the game 100-100 on Aaron Wiggins’ layup with 47 seconds left in the quarter.
Kenrich Williams’ jumper gave Oklahoma City a 34-25 lead early in the second quarter before Cleveland responded with an 8-0 run. The Thunder maintained the advantage throughout the second before Allen converted an alley-oop.
Mitchell made his first field goal on a smash to give the Cavaliers a 62-59 lead at the break.