Game ID: 22300167
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Oklahoma City Thunder
Wednesday, November 8, 2023 at 8:00 PM ET
Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
OKC 36 34 29 29 128CLE 29 28 30 33 120
CLE @ OKC ScoutingCLE @ OKC Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
OKC availability going into 10/30 · back-to-back
full strength
OKC availability going into 11/01 · 1 day's restNEW Dieng 10 to 16 min over the last 4
OKC availability going into 11/03 · 1 day's restOUT Micić missed 2 since 10/30, returns tonight: 12 min (101% of 12)
OKC availability going into 11/06 · 2 days' restBACK Micić back 11/03 after 2, 12 min since (101% of 12)
OKC availability going into 11/08 · 1 day's restBACK Micić back 11/03 after 2, 12 min since (101% of 12)
OKC availability going into 11/10 · 1 day's restOUT Micić missed 2 since 11/06, out tonight
OKC availability going into 11/12 · 1 day's restOUT Micić missed 3 since 11/06, out tonight
OKC availability going into 11/14 · 1 day's restOUT Micić missed 4 since 11/06, returns tonight: 19 min (159% of 12)
OKC availability going into 11/16 · 1 day's restBACK Micić back 11/14 after 4, 19 min since (159% of 12)
CLE availability going into 10/31 · 2 days' restOUT Garland missed 2 since 10/27, out tonight
BACK Merrill back 10/28 after 2, 6 min since (35% of 17)
BACK Thompson back 10/28 after 2, 8 min since (78% of 11)
NEW Strus 33 to 40 min over the last 3
NEW LeVert 28 to 36 min over the last 3
NEW Okoro 26 to 32 min over the last 3
CLE availability going into 11/01 · back-to-backOUT Garland missed 3 since 10/27, out tonight
BACK Merrill back 10/28 after 2, 10 min since (59% of 17)
BACK Thompson back 10/28 after 2, 14 min since (126% of 11)
NEW Strus 33 to 38 min over the last 4
NEW LeVert 28 to 36 min over the last 3
NEW Wade 20 to 27 min over the last 3
CLE availability going into 11/03 · 1 day's restOUT Garland missed 4 since 10/27, returns tonight: 32 min (95% of 34)
BACK Merrill back 10/28 after 2, 10 min since (59% of 17)
BACK Thompson back 10/28 after 2, 13 min since (123% of 11)
NEW LeVert 28 to 34 min over the last 4
CLE availability going into 11/05 · 1 day's restOUT Merrill missed 2 since 11/01, returns tonight: 1 min (7% of 17)
BACK Garland back 11/03 after 4, 32 min since (95% of 34)
BACK Thompson back 10/28 after 2, 11 min since (99% of 11)
NEW LeVert 28 to 34 min over the last 4
CLE availability going into 11/08 · 2 days' restOUT Porter Jr. missed 2 since 11/03, out tonight
BACK Garland back 11/03 after 4, 31 min since (92% of 34)
BACK Merrill back 10/28 after 2, 7 min since (41% of 17)
BACK Thompson back 10/28 after 2, 11 min since (100% of 11)
NEW LeVert 28 to 34 min over the last 4
CLE availability going into 11/11 · 2 days' restOUT Okoro missed 2 since 11/05, out tonight
OUT Porter Jr. missed 3 since 11/03, returns tonight: 2 min (12% of 13)
BACK Garland back 11/03 after 4, 33 min since (97% of 34)
BACK Merrill back 11/05 after 2, 1 min since (7% of 17)
CLE availability going into 11/13 · 1 day's restOUT Okoro missed 3 since 11/05, out tonight
OUT Merrill missed 2 since 11/08, returns tonight: 3 min (18% of 17)
BACK Garland back 11/03 after 4, 34 min since (99% of 34)
BACK Porter Jr. back 11/11 after 3, 2 min since (12% of 13)
CLE availability going into 11/15 · 1 day's restOUT Okoro missed 4 since 11/05, out tonight
BACK Garland back 11/03 after 4, 34 min since (99% of 34)
BACK Merrill back 11/05 after 2, 2 min since (12% of 17)
BACK Porter Jr. back 11/11 after 3, 2 min since (18% of 13)
CLE availability going into 11/17 · 1 day's restOUT Okoro missed 5 since 11/05, out tonight
BACK Merrill back 11/05 after 2, 2 min since (11% of 17)
BACK Porter Jr. back 11/11 after 3, 5 min since (36% of 13)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 122, shooting 49 percent and 35 from three, 25 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 22 and Holmgren at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 110, shooting 45 percent and 32 from three, 22 free throws a game; Mitchell at 31 and LeVert at 18 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-0 a night and OKC minus-8 and the defense, Cleveland allowing 110 a night to OKC's 122. Call it OKC 115, Cleveland 112, Cleveland keeping it close.
10/30 vs DET 124-112 — OKC notes
OKC won 124-112. OKC shot 53% (44 of 83) to DET's 43%, 13 of 29 from three. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 32 (11 of 23, 1 of 3 from three, 9 of 9 at the line); Giddey added 21, Williams 19. The hinge was Q1, 33-21: from level to 12 ahead, and the lead reached 21. Gilgeous-Alexander was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
11/01 vs NOP 106-110 — OKC notes
OKC lost 106-110. OKC shot 43% (38 of 88) to NOP's 39%, 7 of 34 from three. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 20 (8 of 20, 0 of 5 from three); Holmgren added 19, Williams 18. Q1 was theirs, 33-14, but the other 3 periods went 96-73 against them. They led by as many as 22. Dieng's -11 in 12 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/03 vs GSW 139-141 — OKC notes
OKC lost 139-141. OKC shot 60% (50 of 83) to GSW's 53%, 15 of 29 from three. Dort led with 29 (9 of 12, 6 of 6 from three, 5 of 7 at the line); Holmgren added 24, Jal. Williams 18. Q2 was theirs, 34-31, the deficit cut from 5 to 2, but the other 3 periods went 110-105 against them.
11/06 vs ATL 126-117 — OKC notes
OKC won 126-117. OKC shot 48% (45 of 94) to ATL's 37%, 14 of 35 from three, and got to the line 23 times to ATL's 32. The glass went 49-59 against them. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 30 (11 of 20, 3 of 7 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Jal. Williams added 21, Dort 19. The hinge was Q3, 38-27: a lead of 8 became 19. Gilgeous-Alexander was the night's best plus/minus at +14.
11/08 vs CLE 128-120 — OKC notes
OKC won 128-120. OKC shot 51% (44 of 86) to CLE's 51%, 12 of 28 from three, and got to the line 30 times to CLE's 37. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 43 (15 of 22, 12 of 13 at the line); Jal. Williams added 15, Holmgren 15. The hinge was Q1, 36-29: from level to 7 ahead, and the lead reached 17. Gilgeous-Alexander was the night's best plus/minus at +10.
11/10 @ SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 115, shooting 43 percent and 32 from three, 25 free throws a game; Monk at 17 and Sabonis at 16 a game. Without Fox (4 straight). One day's rest. OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 120, shooting 51 percent and 39 from three, 27 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 31 and Jal. Williams at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, OKC at 39 percent from three to Sacramento's 32 and the glass, where Sacramento has been plus-1 a night and OKC minus-4. Call it OKC 117, Sacramento 116, Sacramento keeping it close.
11/12 @ PHX — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 117, shooting 45 percent and 39 from three, 28 free throws a game; Durant at 33 and Allen at 15 a game. Without Booker (4 straight). One day's rest. OKC comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 119, shooting 49 percent and 35 from three, 25 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 32 and Holmgren at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-4 a night and OKC minus-8. Call it Phoenix 117, OKC 115, OKC keeping it close.
11/14 vs SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 116, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 25 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 35 and Jal. Williams at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 10 a night. One day's rest. San Antonio comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 127, shooting 47 percent and 34 from three, 17 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 19 and Vassell at 16 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Champagnie (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the defense, OKC allowing 116 a night to San Antonio's 127 and the line, where OKC takes 25 free throws a game to San Antonio's 17. Call it OKC 123, San Antonio 113, OKC by 10.
11/16 @ GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Golden State comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 111, shooting 42 percent and 31 from three, 24 free throws a game; Curry at 31 and Thompson at 12 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has won the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest. OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 106, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 23 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 34 and Jal. Williams at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 9 a night. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Golden State has been plus-5 a night and OKC minus-9 and the arc, OKC at 36 percent from three to Golden State's 31. Call it OKC 113, Golden State 111, Golden State keeping it close.
10/31 vs NYK 91-109 — CLE notes
CLE lost 91-109. CLE shot 39% (36 of 92) to NYK's 44%, 10 of 38 from three, and got to the line just 12 times against 19 fouls committed. Mitchell led with 26 (11 of 20, 0 of 3 from three); Okoro added 11, Niang 11. Q4 was theirs, 23-23, but the other 3 periods went 86-68 against them. E. Mobley's -19 in 29 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/01 @ NYK 95-89 — CLE notes
CLE won 95-89. CLE shot 43% (32 of 74) to NYK's 35%, 12 of 32 from three, and got to the line 20 times to NYK's 30. CLE turned it over 18 times to NYK's 13, and NYK turned those into 10 steals. Mitchell led with 30 (9 of 22, 6 of 15 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); LeVert added 19, Mobley 14. The hinge was Q3, 22-13: CLE came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 8. CLE trailed 49-50 at the half and won the second half 46-39. LeVert was the night's best plus/minus at +10.
11/03 @ IND 116-121 — CLE notes
CLE lost 116-121. CLE shot 52% (44 of 84) to IND's 52%, 8 of 28 from three. CLE turned it over 13 times to IND's 18. Mitchell led with 38 (13 of 21, 4 of 7 from three, 8 of 10 at the line); Mobley added 14, Garland 14. Q3 was theirs, 34-18, the deficit cut from 17 to 1, but the other 3 periods went 103-82 against them. Okoro's -19 in 23 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/05 vs GSW 115-104 — CLE notes
CLE won 115-104. CLE shot 49% (41 of 83) to GSW's 36%, 11 of 37 from three. CLE turned it over 18 times to GSW's 13, and GSW turned those into 10 steals. The glass went 54-44 for them. Mitchell led with 31 (11 of 19, 5 of 11 from three); Garland added 24, Strus 15. The hinge was Q2, 28-15: CLE came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 12. Garland was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
11/08 @ OKC 120-128 — CLE notes
CLE lost 120-128. CLE shot 51% (42 of 83) to OKC's 51%, 9 of 29 from three, and went to the line 37 times to OKC's 30 — 27 points from the stripe to their 28. LeVert led with 29 (7 of 14, 2 of 6 from three, 13 of 16 at the line); Mobley added 22, Mitchell 20. Q4 was theirs, 33-29, the deficit cut from 12 to 8, but the other 3 periods went 99-87 against them. LeVert's -14 in 34 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/11 @ GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Golden State comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 114, shooting 46 percent and 36 from three, 24 free throws a game; Curry at 27 and Thompson at 16 a game. 2 days' rest. Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 110, shooting 47 percent and 30 from three, 24 free throws a game; Mitchell at 29 and Garland at 18 a game. Without Okoro (2 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Golden State wins, and the game turns on the arc, Golden State at 36 percent from three to Cleveland's 30 and the turnovers, Cleveland giving it away 16 times a game to Golden State's 13. Call it Golden State 114, Cleveland 109.
11/13 @ SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 103 a night and allowing 109, shooting 42 percent and 30 from three, 24 free throws a game; Sabonis at 17 and Monk at 15 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Fox (5 straight). 2 days' rest. Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 110, shooting 48 percent and 33 from three, 31 free throws a game; Mitchell at 28 and LeVert at 18 a game. Without Okoro (3 straight), Merrill (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Sacramento wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Sacramento has been plus-5 a night and Cleveland minus-2 and the line, where Cleveland takes 31 free throws a game to Sacramento's 24. Call it Sacramento 111, Cleveland 110, Cleveland keeping it close.
11/15 @ POR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Portland comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 115, shooting 44 percent and 32 from three, 22 free throws a game; Grant at 28 and Sharpe at 19 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Simons (9 straight), Brogdon (2 straight), Henderson (5 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 119, shooting 49 percent and 35 from three, 30 free throws a game; Mitchell at 26 and LeVert at 19 a game. Without Okoro (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, on the road, and the game turns on the line, where Cleveland takes 30 free throws a game to Portland's 22 and the glass, where Cleveland has been minus-1 a night and Portland minus-5. Call it Cleveland 114, Portland 112, Portland keeping it close.
11/17 vs DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 114, shooting 50 percent and 35 from three, 29 free throws a game; Mitchell at 26 and LeVert at 19 a game. Without Okoro (5 straight). One day's rest. Detroit comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 120, shooting 48 percent and 33 from three, 22 free throws a game; Cunningham at 19 and Hayes at 15 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Duren (2 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the line, where Cleveland takes 29 free throws a game to Detroit's 22 and the defense, Cleveland allowing 114 a night to Detroit's 120. Call it Cleveland 117, Detroit 111.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
CLECL C. LeVert
DG D. Garland
DM D. Mitchell
DW D. Wade
EM E. Mobley
GN G. Niang
JA J. Allen
MS M. Strus
TT T. Thompson
OKCAW A. Wiggins
CH C. Holmgren
CW C. Wallace
DB D. Bertans
IJ I. Joe
JG J. Giddey
JW J. Williams
JW Jal. Williams
LD L. Dort
OD O. Dieng
SG S. Gilgeous-Alexander
CLE/OKC the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Gilgeous-Alexander scores 43 as the Thunder top the Cavaliers 128-120
OKLAHOMA CITY -- — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put up big numbers without focusing on them.
The high-scoring guard had 43 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 128-120 on Wednesday night.
Gilgeous-Alexander made 15 of 22 field goals and 12 of 13 free throws. He fell one point short of his career high and scored at least 40 for the eighth time.
Best known for his mid-range prowess and exceptional ability to finish around the basket, Gilgeous-Alexander attempted just two 3-pointers.
“I know that’s where I’m at my best," he said of his interior offensive play. "I felt good coming in tonight. I just wanted to play fast, play in my comfort zone and make the right basketball play.”
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said Gilgeous-Alexander was as aggressive about finding help as he was about scoring. He had six assists.
“It wasn’t like he just took over and took on Cleveland,” Daigneault said. "The ball was moving around and we became very difficult to guard.”
Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren each added 15 points for the Thunder, who improved to 5-3 this season.
Caris LeVert scored 29 points and Evan Mobley had 22 for Cleveland.
Donovan Mitchell , who entered as the NBA’s leading scorer at 32.5 points per game, was held to 20 on 8-for-23 shooting. He scored 43 points in the first meeting between the teams, a 108-105 win for the Thunder on Oct. 27 in Cleveland.
The Cavaliers shot 50.6% from the field, but Oklahoma City scored 30 points off their 20 turnovers.
“Our approach to start the game wasn’t good enough,” Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "Where we were mentally and where our focus was wasn’t good enough. Coming out and not executing the game plan the way we did is disappointing.”
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 23 points on 10-for-11 shooting in the first half to help the Thunder take a 70-57 lead. He racked up those points without attempting a 3-pointer. Oklahoma City shot 55.3% from the field and hit all 12 of its free throw attempts in the first two quarters. Cleveland shot 53.8% from the field but made just 10 of 19 free throws in the first half.
Gilgeous-Alexander had 15 points in the third quarter to put the Thunder ahead 99-87. He took a break to start the fourth and returned to the game with Oklahoma City leading 105-100.
Other players handled the scoring for the Thunder until Gilgeous-Alexander hit a 3 from the top of the key to put Oklahoma City up 117-108 with about four minutes remaining. It was his first 3-pointer of the game and just his second attempt.
“When they are double-teaming me or loading extra hard, it’s always important to make the right play," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "That’s just how I was taught to play. And then like I said, at the end of the day, I just want to win. ... My teammates are pretty good, so it’s easy to trust them.”
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: Visit the Golden State Warriors on Saturday.