The Cleveland Cavaliers can officially claim the title of best team in the NBA. For now.
The Cavs defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 129-122 on Wednesday in a matchup that lived up to its fame of the best in the East taking on the best in the West. Normally you have to wait for the NBA Finals for those types of games.
They snapped a 15-game winning streak for the Thunder and continued an 11-game winning streak for Cleveland. The Cavaliers are now 32-4 and on their second double-digit winning streak of the season.
At the end of the first quarter, the Thunder led by seven. At the end of the second, the Cavaliers were up by three. At the end of the third, the Cavaliers led by one, then lost the lead on OKC’s first possession of the quarter. Neither team ever led by double digits and the lead was exchanged 30 times.
The NBA’s best offense beat the NBA’s best defense, with one more matchup scheduled in just over a week. However, few observers would be surprised if these teams played four to seven times as much.
It was definitely the Cavaliers’ game on the line, with each team shooting over 50% on 90 field goal attempts. As some will note, the Thunder entered the game without key players like Chet Holmgren and Alex Caruso, and they almost made up for it with their third-best shooting performance of the season. Unfortunately, the Cavaliers’ offense ended up being too comfortable, with a home crowd behind them.
Jarrett Allen led the Cavaliers in scoring with 25 points on 9-of-11 shooting, along with 12 rebounds, six assists and three steals. He benefited from the Cavaliers’ 36 assists on 47 field goals, finding the holes in an OKC defense that has sucked the life out of most teams they’ve played.
The Thunder could possibly have Holmgren and/or Caruso back in time for next Thursday’s game, but Wednesday showed that both teams don’t need to be at 100% to have a good time. Although the Thunder lost, they left the arena with little reason to think they are not the best team in the West.