Following a loss to the Miami Heat on Saturday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder got back on track with a convincing road win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Oklahoma City Thunder took care of business in a Monday afternoon MLK Day matinee, bouncing back from Saturday’s 122-120 loss in Miami by steamrolling the Cleveland Cavaliers, 136-104, at Rocket Arena. Oklahoma City came out sharp and, unlike the cold spells that have shown up in pockets this season, the three-point shot was falling early and often. The Thunder drilled 23 threes and turned the game into a math problem Cleveland never had an answer for, then slammed the door with a monster fourth quarter to turn a competitive stretch into a full-blown blowout.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander did what he always does, calmly controlling the game on the way to 30 points in 33 minutes on 12-of-20 shooting. But the story of the afternoon was Chet Holmgren, who looked every bit like a true No. 2 scoring option with Jalen Williams sidelined. Holmgren poured in 28 points on 11-of-16 shooting, knocked down four triples and posted a game-high plus-34, giving OKC a second star-level engine next to Shai when the offense needed it.
The perimeter support showed up in a big way as well. Lu Dort turned in one of his best shooting performances of the season with 18 points, doing most of his damage from beyond the arc while also setting the tone defensively. Isaiah Joe added 16 points on efficient shooting, continuing to punish defenses that collapse too hard on Shai and Chet.
Even with some familiar issues still present, the Thunder found the counterpunch. Cleveland generated extra chances by dominating the glass, particularly on the offensive end, but OKC made up for it by forcing turnovers and converting those mistakes into quick points before the Cavaliers could ever get set defensively. When Oklahoma City shoots like this, the margin for error for opponents is razor thin.
From here, the Thunder will keep moving forward on the Eastern Conference road trip, with a tough matchup looming Wednesday night in Milwaukee as they continue to navigate life without Jalen Williams in the lineup.