Cavaliers beat Thunder 129-122 to end OKC's 15-game winning streak in matchup of NBA's top teams
CLEVELAND (AP) Jarrett Allen scored 25 points, Evan Mobley added 21 and the Cleveland Cavaliers ended Oklahoma City's 15-game winning streak by beating the Thunder 129-122 on Wednesday night in a marquee meeting between the NBA's top two teams.
The Cavs extended their winning streak to 11, improved the league's best record to 32-4 - 11-0 against the West - and moved to 19-1 at home. They did it on an off night for leading scorer Donovan Mitchell, who had just 11 points on 3 of 16 shooting.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points and Jalen Williams had 25 for the Thunder in their first loss since Dec. 1.
While it's only January and there's a lot of basketball ahead, the game's intensity had the all vibes of a Finals matchup in June. There were 30 lead changes and neither team led by more than nine.
The matchup was only the third in history between teams riding double-digit winning streaks. The last time it happened was on Jan. 26, 1995, when Seattle and Utah entered their game each on 10-game winning streaks.
Thunder: Gilgeous-Alexander is the team's undisputed star, but Oklahoma City has some nice pieces. Center Isaiah Hartenstein finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.
Cavaliers: Cleveland showed its balance, depth and that it can get by when Mitchell isn't on. Mobley and Allen combined for 22 rebounds and 13 assists. Darius Garland had 18 points, seven assists and hit a floater to put OKC away.
With Cleveland up 125-122, Mitchell was called for a loose ball foul with 1:19 left. The Cavs challenged and the call was reversed by replay review. Mobley then hit a 10-footer in the lane to put Cleveland up by five.
Only four teams have posted a better record through 36 games than Cleveland: Golden State (34-2) in 2015-16, Philadelphia (33-3) in 1966-67, the Los Angeles Lakers (33-3) in 1971-72 and Chicago (33-3) in 1995-96.
Thunder: Continue four-game trip at New York on Friday.
Cavaliers: Host Toronto on Thursday.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Isaiah Hartenstein vs. Jarrett Allen (Evan Mobley gains possession) | ||
| 11:44 | | +3 | Dean Wade makes three point jump shot (Jarrett Allen assists) | 0-3 |
| 11:23 |  | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 11:20 | | Donovan Mitchell defensive rebound | ||
| 11:15 | | +3 | Darius Garland makes three point running jump shot (Donovan Mitchell assists) | 0-6 |
| 11:02 | | Jarrett Allen personal foul (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander draws the foul) | ||
| 10:51 | | Evan Mobley blocks Cason Wallace's two point driving layup | ||
| 10:49 | | Isaiah Hartenstein offensive rebound | ||
| 10:48 | | Isaiah Hartenstein misses two point putback layup | ||
| 10:47 | | Evan Mobley defensive rebound | ||
| 10:37 | | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander personal foul (Evan Mobley draws the foul) | ||
| 10:28 | | Donovan Mitchell misses two point jump shot | ||
| 10:25 | | Jalen Williams defensive rebound | ||
| 10:13 | | +2 | Jalen Williams makes two point fadeaway jump shot | 2-6 |
| 10:02 | | Darius Garland misses two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 10:00 | | Isaiah Hartenstein defensive rebound | ||
| 9:55 | | +3 | Luguentz Dort makes three point running jump shot (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander assists) | 5-6 |
| 9:40 | | +2 | Dean Wade makes two point alley-oop layup (Jarrett Allen assists) | 5-8 |
| 9:27 | | Isaiah Hartenstein misses two point alley-oop layup | ||
| 9:24 | | Jalen Williams offensive rebound | ||
| 9:19 | | Dean Wade personal foul (Jalen Williams draws the foul) | ||
| 9:09 | | +2 | Isaiah Hartenstein makes two point floating jump shot (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander assists) | 7-8 |
| 8:54 | | Luguentz Dort blocks Donovan Mitchell's two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 8:54 | | Cason Wallace defensive rebound | ||
| 8:48 | | +2 | Jalen Williams makes two point running layup (Cason Wallace assists) | 9-8 |
| 8:34 | | Evan Mobley turnover (lost ball) (Jalen Williams steals) | ||
| 8:28 | | Jalen Williams misses two point running layup | ||
| 8:26 | | Donovan Mitchell defensive rebound | ||
| 8:20 | | Donovan Mitchell misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 8:15 | | Cason Wallace defensive rebound | ||
| 8:09 | | Cason Wallace misses two point running layup | ||
| 8:07 | | Evan Mobley defensive rebound | ||
| 8:02 | | Jalen Williams personal foul (Evan Mobley draws the foul) | ||
| 7:50 | | Darius Garland misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 7:46 | | Jalen Williams defensive rebound | ||
| 7:39 | | Luguentz Dort turnover (out of bounds step) | ||
| 7:25 | | Cason Wallace shooting foul (Jarrett Allen draws the foul) | ||
| 7:25 | | +1 | Jarrett Allen makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 9-9 |
| 7:25 | | +1 | Jarrett Allen makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 9-10 |
| 7:09 | | +3 | Jalen Williams makes three point jump shot (Cason Wallace assists) | 12-10 |
| 6:57 | | Darius Garland misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 6:54 | | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander defensive rebound | ||
| 6:44 | | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 6:42 | | Jarrett Allen defensive rebound | ||
| 6:33 | | Max Strus turnover (out of bounds step) | ||
| 6:33 | | Cavaliers 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:23 | | Caris LeVert personal foul (Jalen Williams draws the foul) | ||
| 6:17 | | Jalen Williams misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 6:13 | | Dean Wade defensive rebound | ||
| 6:07 | | Caris LeVert misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 6:06 | | Cavaliers offensive rebound | ||
| 5:57 | | +2 | Jarrett Allen makes two point alley-oop dunk (Caris LeVert assists) | 12-12 |
| 5:47 | | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 5:44 | | Dean Wade defensive rebound | ||
| 5:39 | | +2 | Jarrett Allen makes two point running dunk (Max Strus assists) | 12-14 |
| 5:28 | | +2 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes two point driving floating bank jump shot | 14-14 |
| 5:23 | | Cason Wallace personal foul (Darius Garland draws the foul) | ||
| 5:16 | | +2 | Darius Garland makes two point driving layup (Jarrett Allen assists) | 14-16 |
| 5:02 | | +3 | Cason Wallace makes three point jump shot (Jaylin Williams assists) | 17-16 |
| 4:52 | | Darius Garland turnover (lost ball) (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander steals) | ||
| 4:48 | | +2 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes two point running dunk (Aaron Wiggins assists) | 19-16 |
| 4:31 | | +3 | Max Strus makes three point jump shot (Georges Niang assists) | 19-19 |
| 4:18 | | Max Strus shooting foul (Isaiah Joe draws the foul) | ||
| 4:18 | | +1 | Isaiah Joe makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 20-19 |
| 4:18 | | +1 | Isaiah Joe makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 21-19 |
| 4:06 | | Georges Niang turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 3:55 | | +3 | Jaylin Williams makes three point jump shot (Isaiah Joe assists) | 24-19 |
| 3:39 | | Georges Niang misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:37 | | Isaiah Joe defensive rebound | ||
| 3:27 | | +2 | Aaron Wiggins makes two point driving layup | 26-19 |
| 3:16 | | Evan Mobley misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 3:13 | | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander defensive rebound | ||
| 3:08 | | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 3:05 | | Evan Mobley defensive rebound | ||
| 2:57 | | +3 | Max Strus makes three point jump shot (Evan Mobley assists) | 26-22 |
| 2:43 | | Aaron Wiggins misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:40 | | Caris LeVert defensive rebound | ||
| 2:31 | | Max Strus misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:29 | | Jaylin Williams defensive rebound | ||
| 2:17 | | Evan Mobley shooting foul (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander draws the foul) | ||
| 2:17 | | Thunder 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:17 | | +1 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 27-22 |
| 2:17 | | +1 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 28-22 |
| 2:05 | | +2 | Evan Mobley makes two point jump shot (Max Strus assists) | 28-24 |
| 1:50 | | Isaiah Joe misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:48 | | Max Strus defensive rebound | ||
| 1:39 | | Donovan Mitchell misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 1:36 | | Isaiah Joe defensive rebound | ||
| 1:26 | | +2 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | 30-24 |
| 1:14 | | Aaron Wiggins shooting foul (Evan Mobley draws the foul) | ||
| 1:14 | | Evan Mobley misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 1:14 | | Cavaliers offensive rebound | ||
| 1:14 | | +1 | Evan Mobley makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 30-25 |
| 1:03 | | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 0:59 | | Georges Niang defensive rebound | ||
| 0:50 | | Georges Niang misses two point cutting layup | ||
| 0:48 | | Luguentz Dort defensive rebound | ||
| 0:28 | | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | ||
| 0:27 | | Isaiah Hartenstein offensive rebound | ||
| 0:27 | | Georges Niang personal foul (Isaiah Hartenstein draws the foul) | ||
| 0:27 | | +1 | Isaiah Hartenstein makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 31-25 |
| 0:27 | | +1 | Isaiah Hartenstein makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 32-25 |
| 0:05 | | Caris LeVert misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 0:03 | | Isaiah Joe defensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 0:00 | | Thunder offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:39 | | +2 | Kenrich Williams makes two point jump shot (Luguentz Dort assists) | 34-25 |
| 11:26 | | Georges Niang misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | ||
| 11:25 | | Evan Mobley offensive rebound | ||
| 11:13 | | +3 | Max Strus makes three point jump shot (Evan Mobley assists) | 34-28 |
| 10:54 | | Luguentz Dort misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:51 | | Cavaliers defensive rebound | ||
| 10:46 | | +2 | Evan Mobley makes two point cutting layup (Georges Niang assists) | 34-30 |
| 10:46 | | Isaiah Hartenstein shooting foul (Evan Mobley draws the foul) | ||
| 10:46 | | +1 | Evan Mobley makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 34-31 |
| 10:26 | | Isaiah Hartenstein misses two point driving hook shot | ||
| 10:24 | | Georges Niang defensive rebound | ||
| 10:22 | | Luguentz Dort personal foul (Donovan Mitchell draws the foul) | ||
| 10:13 | | Jalen Williams blocks Evan Mobley's two point turnaround hook shot | ||
| 10:11 | | Max Strus offensive rebound | ||
| 10:08 | | Aaron Wiggins shooting foul (Evan Mobley draws the foul) | ||
| 10:08 | | +1 | Evan Mobley makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 34-32 |
| 10:08 | | +1 | Evan Mobley makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 34-33 |
| 9:55 | | +3 | Jalen Williams makes three point jump shot (Isaiah Hartenstein assists) | 37-33 |
| 9:40 | | Donovan Mitchell misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:37 | | Isaiah Hartenstein defensive rebound | ||
| 9:30 | | Aaron Wiggins turnover (bad pass) (Isaac Okoro steals) | ||
| 9:30 | | Isaiah Hartenstein personal foul (Isaac Okoro draws the foul) | ||
| 9:17 | | +2 | Evan Mobley makes two point dunk (Ty Jerome assists) | 37-35 |
| 9:05 | | Jalen Williams misses two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 9:03 | | Donovan Mitchell defensive rebound | ||
| 8:55 | | Donovan Mitchell misses two point driving layup | ||
| 8:52 | | Aaron Wiggins defensive rebound | ||
| 8:45 | | +2 | Aaron Wiggins makes two point cutting layup (Jalen Williams assists) | 39-35 |
| 8:45 | | Cavaliers 60 second timeout | ||
| 8:32 | | +2 | Ty Jerome makes two point driving floating bank jump shot (Isaac Okoro assists) | 39-37 |
| 8:05 | | +2 | Cason Wallace makes two point bank jump shot (Kenrich Williams assists) | 41-37 |
| 7:55 | | +2 | Ty Jerome makes two point cutting layup (Max Strus assists) | 41-39 |
| 7:37 | | +2 | Kenrich Williams makes two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot (Isaiah Hartenstein assists) | 43-39 |
| 7:26 | | +2 | Ty Jerome makes two point driving layup | 43-41 |
| 7:18 | | Isaac Okoro shooting foul (Jalen Williams draws the foul) | ||
| 7:18 | | Jalen Williams misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 7:18 | | Thunder offensive rebound | ||
| 7:18 | |