Game ID: 22400574
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Oklahoma City Thunder
Thursday, January 16, 2025 at 7:30 PM ET
Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
OKC 32 43 44 15 134CLE 14 35 32 33 114
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 1/08 · 2 days' restOUT Holmgren missed 25 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Caruso missed 7 since 12/26, out tonight
NEW Mitchell 14 to 19 min over the last 4
OKC availability going into 1/10 · 1 day's restOUT Holmgren missed 26 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Caruso missed 8 since 12/26, out tonight
OUT Mitchell missed 2 since 1/05, out tonight
OKC availability going into 1/12 · 1 day's restOUT Holmgren missed 27 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Caruso missed 9 since 12/26, out tonight
OUT Mitchell missed 3 since 1/05, out tonight
OKC availability going into 1/14 · 1 day's restOUT Holmgren missed 28 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Caruso missed 10 since 12/26, returns tonight: 18 min (86% of 21)
OUT Mitchell missed 4 since 1/05, out tonight
NEW Wallace 26 to 32 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 1/16 · 1 day's restOUT Holmgren missed 29 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Mitchell missed 5 since 1/05, out tonight
BACK Caruso back 1/14 after 10, 18 min since (86% of 21)
NEW Wallace 26 to 32 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 1/17 · back-to-backOUT Holmgren missed 30 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Mitchell missed 6 since 1/05, out tonight
BACK Caruso back 1/14 after 10, 16 min since (75% of 21)
OKC availability going into 1/19 · 1 day's restOUT Holmgren missed 31 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Hartenstein missed 2 since 1/16, out tonight
OUT Mitchell missed 7 since 1/05, out tonight
BACK Caruso back 1/14 after 10, 17 min since (82% of 21)
NEW Wallace 26 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Jay. Williams 14 to 20 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 1/22 · 2 days' restOUT Holmgren missed 32 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Hartenstein missed 3 since 1/16, out tonight
OUT Mitchell missed 8 since 1/05, out tonight
BACK Caruso back 1/14 after 10, 18 min since (84% of 21)
NEW Jay. Williams 14 to 22 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 1/23 · back-to-backOUT Holmgren missed 33 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Hartenstein missed 4 since 1/16, out tonight
OUT Mitchell missed 9 since 1/05, out tonight
BACK Caruso back 1/14 after 10, 18 min since (87% of 21)
NEW Wallace 26 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Jay. Williams 14 to 21 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 1/08 · 2 days' restOUT Merrill missed 2 since 1/03, out tonight
OUT Okoro missed 8 since 12/20, returns tonight: 13 min (70% of 18)
CLE availability going into 1/09 · back-to-backOUT Merrill missed 3 since 1/03, returns tonight: 13 min (64% of 20)
BACK Okoro back 1/08 after 8, 13 min since (70% of 18)
CLE availability going into 1/12 · 2 days' restBACK Merrill back 1/09 after 3, 13 min since (64% of 20)
BACK Okoro back 1/08 after 8, 10 min since (55% of 18)
CLE availability going into 1/14 · 1 day's restBACK Merrill back 1/09 after 3, 12 min since (62% of 20)
BACK Okoro back 1/08 after 8, 13 min since (70% of 18)
CLE availability going into 1/16 · 1 day's restOUT Jerome missed 2 since 1/12, returns tonight: 16 min (81% of 20)
BACK Merrill back 1/09 after 3, 12 min since (62% of 20)
BACK Okoro back 1/08 after 8, 11 min since (61% of 18)
CLE availability going into 1/18 · 1 day's restBACK Jerome back 1/16 after 2, 16 min since (81% of 20)
BACK Merrill back 1/09 after 3, 12 min since (61% of 20)
BACK Okoro back 1/08 after 8, 14 min since (74% of 18)
CLE availability going into 1/20 · 1 day's restBACK Jerome back 1/16 after 2, 19 min since (95% of 20)
BACK Merrill back 1/09 after 3, 11 min since (56% of 20)
CLE availability going into 1/22 · 1 day's restOUT Mobley missed 2 since 1/18, out tonight
OUT Okoro missed 2 since 1/18, out tonight
BACK Jerome back 1/16 after 2, 19 min since (97% of 20)
CLE availability going into 1/24 · 1 day's restOUT Mobley missed 3 since 1/18, out tonight
OUT LeVert missed 2 since 1/20, out tonight
OUT Okoro missed 3 since 1/18, out tonight
BACK Jerome back 1/16 after 2, 21 min since (103% of 20)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 104, shooting 51 percent and 40 from three, 20 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 32 and Jal. Williams at 19 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Holmgren (29 straight). One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 116, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 23 free throws a game; Garland at 25 and Mitchell at 21 a game. Without Jerome (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the defense, OKC allowing 104 a night to Cleveland's 116 and the arc, OKC at 40 percent from three to Cleveland's 35. Call it OKC 117, Cleveland 111.
1/08 @ CLE 122-129 — OKC notes
OKC lost 122-129. OKC shot 53% (48 of 90) to CLE's 52%, 11 of 31 from three, and got to the line 17 times to CLE's 27. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 31 (13 of 27, 1 of 6 from three); Jal. Williams added 25, Hartenstein 18. Q1 was theirs, 32-25, but the other 3 periods went 104-90 against them. Dort's -15 in 34 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/10 @ NYK 126-101 — OKC notes
OKC won 126-101. OKC shot 54% (48 of 89) to NYK's 39%, 14 of 27 from three. OKC turned it over 15 times to NYK's 10. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 39 (15 of 21, 8 of 8 at the line); Joe added 31, Jal. Williams 19. The hinge was Q1, 31-17: from level to 14 ahead, and the lead reached 30. Joe was the night's best plus/minus at +31.
1/12 @ WAS 136-95 — OKC notes
OKC won 136-95. OKC shot 47% (45 of 95) to WAS's 34%, 13 of 35 from three. The glass went 56-39 for them. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 27 (5 of 17, 1 of 4 from three, 16 of 17 at the line); Wiggins added 23, Jal. Williams 17. The hinge was Q1, 37-25: from level to 12 ahead, and the lead reached 44. Gilgeous-Alexander was the night's best plus/minus at +30.
1/14 @ PHI 118-102 — OKC notes
OKC won 118-102. OKC shot 56% (45 of 81) to PHI's 44%, 12 of 36 from three. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 32 (12 of 15, 1 of 3 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Jal. Williams added 24, Wallace 18. The hinge was Q1, 37-21: from level to 16 ahead, and the lead reached 21. Dort was the night's best plus/minus at +30.
1/16 vs CLE 134-114 — OKC notes
OKC won 134-114. OKC shot 50% (53 of 105) to CLE's 47%, 18 of 53 from three, and got to the line 11 times to CLE's 21. OKC turned it over 6 times to CLE's 21. The glass went 39-49 against them. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 40 (17 of 26, 1 of 5 from three); Dort added 22, Jal. Williams 19. The hinge was Q1, 32-14: from level to 18 ahead, and the lead reached 42. Gilgeous-Alexander was the night's best plus/minus at +32.
1/17 @ DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 111, shooting 46 percent and 36 from three, 23 free throws a game; Dinwiddie at 16 and Washington at 14 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Edwards (8 straight). One day's rest. OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 127 a night and allowing 108, shooting 52 percent and 37 from three, 20 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 34 and Jal. Williams at 21 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Without Holmgren (30 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where OKC has been plus-2 a night and Dallas minus-4. Call it OKC 115, Dallas 111, Dallas keeping it close.
1/19 vs BKN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 104, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 19 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 34 and Jal. Williams at 20 a game. Without Holmgren (31 straight), Hartenstein (2 straight). One day's rest. Brooklyn comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 103 a night and allowing 116, shooting 43 percent and 34 from three, 21 free throws a game; K. Johnson at 14 and Evbuomwan at 13 a game. Without C. Johnson (2 straight), Thomas (8 straight), Watford (16 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the defense, OKC allowing 104 a night to Brooklyn's 116 and the arc, OKC at 39 percent from three to Brooklyn's 34. Call it OKC 118, Brooklyn 103, OKC by 15.
1/22 vs UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 104, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 18 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 32 and Jal. Williams at 20 a game. Without Holmgren (32 straight), Hartenstein (3 straight). 2 days' rest. Utah comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 120, shooting 45 percent and 31 from three, 23 free throws a game; George at 25 and Sexton at 22 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Markkanen (4 straight), Collins (8 straight), Clarkson (8 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the defense, OKC allowing 104 a night to Utah's 120 and the arc, OKC at 38 percent from three to Utah's 31. Call it OKC 121, Utah 107, OKC by 14.
1/23 vs DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 107, shooting 49 percent and 37 from three, 16 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 38 and Jal. Williams at 22 a game. Without Holmgren (33 straight), Hartenstein (4 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Dallas comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 112, shooting 46 percent and 30 from three, 23 free throws a game; Irving at 26 and Gafford at 19 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Lively II (4 straight), Hardy (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the arc, OKC at 37 percent from three to Dallas's 30 and the line, where Dallas takes 23 free throws a game to OKC's 16. Call it OKC 116, Dallas 108.
1/08 vs OKC 129-122 — CLE notes
CLE won 129-122. CLE shot 52% (47 of 90) to OKC's 53%, 15 of 36 from three, and went to the line 27 times to OKC's 17 — 20 points from the stripe to their 15. Allen led with 25 (9 of 11, 7 of 10 at the line); Mobley added 21, Garland 18. The hinge was Q2, 37-27: CLE came in trailing by 7 and left it ahead by 3. Okoro was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
1/09 vs TOR 132-126 — CLE notes
CLE won 132-126. CLE shot 53% (47 of 89) to TOR's 60%, 18 of 45 from three, and went to the line 25 times to TOR's 13 — 20 points from the stripe to their 6. Garland led with 40 (14 of 22, 4 of 7 from three, 8 of 9 at the line); Mobley added 21, LeVert 18. The hinge was Q4, 34-23: CLE came in trailing by 5 and left it ahead by 6. Garland was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
1/12 vs IND 93-108 — CLE notes
CLE lost 93-108. CLE shot 40% (33 of 83) to IND's 47%, 11 of 41 from three. Garland led with 20 (7 of 16, 3 of 9 from three); Mitchell added 19, Mobley 16. Q2 was theirs, 34-19, turning a 2-point deficit into a 13-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 89-59 against them. They led by as many as 15. Strus's -23 in 23 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/14 @ IND 127-117 — CLE notes
CLE won 127-117. CLE shot 48% (43 of 89) to IND's 48%, 15 of 44 from three, and went to the line 31 times to IND's 22 — 26 points from the stripe to their 17. The glass went 49-37 for them. Mitchell led with 35 (12 of 23, 3 of 9 from three, 8 of 8 at the line); Garland added 24, Mobley 22. The hinge was Q3, 38-28: a lead of 1 became 11, and the lead reached 15. Mitchell was the night's best plus/minus at +13.
1/16 @ OKC 114-134 — CLE notes
CLE lost 114-134. CLE shot 47% (42 of 90) to OKC's 50%, 13 of 42 from three, and went to the line 21 times to OKC's 11 — 17 points from the stripe to their 10. CLE turned it over 21 times to OKC's 6, and OKC turned those into 12 steals. The glass went 49-39 for them. Garland led with 20 (7 of 10, 1 of 4 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Allen added 13, Jerome 12. Q4 was theirs, 33-15, the deficit cut from 38 to 20, but the other 3 periods went 119-81 against them. Strus's -30 in 20 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/18 @ MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 107, shooting 49 percent and 43 from three, 25 free throws a game; Edwards at 28 and DiVincenzo at 20 a game. Second night of a back-to-back. Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 121, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 24 free throws a game; Garland at 24 and Mitchell at 18 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the defense, Minnesota allowing 107 a night to Cleveland's 121 and the arc, Minnesota at 43 percent from three to Cleveland's 35. Call it Minnesota 115, Cleveland 114, Cleveland keeping it close.
1/20 vs PHX — 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 118 a night and allowing 120, shooting 47 percent and 34 from three, 24 free throws a game; Garland at 27 and Mitchell at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest. Phoenix comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 117, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 28 free throws a game; Booker at 34 and Durant at 28 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Beal (2 straight), Nurkić (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-5 a night and Phoenix minus-7 and the arc, Phoenix at 39 percent from three to Cleveland's 34. Call it Cleveland 119, Phoenix 116, Phoenix keeping it close.
1/22 @ HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 114, shooting 48 percent and 41 from three, 22 free throws a game; Green at 30 and Sengun at 18 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Smith Jr. (9 straight). One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 114, shooting 45 percent and 34 from three, 24 free throws a game; Mitchell at 26 and Garland at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. Without Mobley (2 straight), Okoro (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the arc, Houston at 41 percent from three to Cleveland's 34. Call it Houston 116, Cleveland 113, Cleveland keeping it close.
1/24 @ PHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Philadelphia comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 125, shooting 46 percent and 34 from three, 17 free throws a game; Maxey at 32 and Yabusele at 16 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 13 a night. Without C. Martin (6 straight), Embiid (9 straight), Lowry (9 straight). 2 days' rest. Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 114, shooting 45 percent and 35 from three, 24 free throws a game; Mitchell at 26 and Garland at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. Without Mobley (3 straight), LeVert (2 straight), Okoro (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-7 a night and Philadelphia minus-13 and the defense, Cleveland allowing 114 a night to Philadelphia's 125. Call it Cleveland 118, Philadelphia 112.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
CLECL C. LeVert
CP C. Porter Jr.
DG D. Garland
DM D. Mitchell
DW D. Wade
EM E. Mobley
GN G. Niang
IO I. Okoro
JA J. Allen
JT J. Tyson
MS M. Strus
SM S. Merrill
TJ T. Jerome
TT T. Thompson
OKCAC A. Caruso
AD A. Ducas
AF A. Flagler
AW A. Wiggins
BC B. Carlson
CW C. Wallace
IJ I. Joe
JW J. Williams
JW Jal. Williams
JW Jay. Williams
KW K. 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 40 as Thunder roll past Cavaliers 134-114 in matchup of NBA leaders
OKLAHOMA CITY -- — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 40 points and eight assists in three quarters, and the Oklahoma City Thunder rolled past the Cleveland Cavaliers 134-114 on Thursday night in a matchup of teams with the best records in the NBA.
The Western Conference-leading Thunder and the East-leading Cavaliers now have matching 34-6 records. The Cavaliers won the first meeting 129-122 on Jan. 8. In the rematch, the Thunder handed the Cavaliers their worst loss of the season.
Lu Dort scored a season-high 22 points and Jalen Williams added 19 for Oklahoma City, which won its fourth straight.
Darius Garland had 20 points and nine assists for Cleveland, and Jarrett Allen added 13 points. Donovan Mitchell , Cleveland’s top scorer, was held to eight points on 3-for-15 shooting.
The Cavaliers led 12-10 before Oklahoma City took over. The Thunder closed the first quarter on a 22-2 run to take a 32-14 lead. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 15 points in the opening period.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 11 points in a three-minute stretch late in the first half to help the Thunder take a 75-49 lead at the break.
The Thunder matched a season high for points in a quarter with 44 in the third to take a 119-81 lead.
Takeaways Cavaliers: The Cavaliers, one of the best defensive teams in the league, had no answers in this one. Oklahoma City shot 60.3% in the first three quarters.
Thunder: Oklahoma City continued to find ways to win with key players out. Center Isaiah Hartenstein , the team's leading rebounder, missed the game with a strained his left calf. The Thunder held their own on the boards and dominated nearly everything else.
Key moment Oklahoma City went on a 30-2 run from the first quarter into the early part of the second that opened up the game.
Key stat Oklahoma City committed just six turnovers to Cleveland's 21.
Up Next The Thunder visit Dallas on Friday. The Cavaliers are at Minnesota on Saturday.