The Cleveland Cavaliers stun the Oklahoma City Thunder with a 115-92 win on the road. Cavs improve to 40-14 and Thunder fall to 40-16 on the season. Cavs are now on a five game winning streak. LeBron James put in 25 points on 11 of 22 from the field including 11 assists, seven rebounds, and stripped away three steals. Kevin Love led all scorers and chipped in a double double with 29 points on 9 of 18 from the field, grabbed 11 rebounds, and dished out four assists. Love played one of his best game of the season and he really stepped up after Irving left the game with an illness
Tristan Thompson put up a double double with 14 points on 4 of 6 from the floor, plucked 14 rebounds, and blocked one shot. J.R. Smith poured in 15 points on 5 of 12 from the field, collected three rebounds, and buried five three-pointers. Richard Jefferson added 15 points on 4 of 5 from the field to go along with six rebounds, and made three triples off the bench. Timofey Mozgov managed 11 points on 5 of 7 from the floor, and pulled down five rebounds off the pine. Kyrie Irving left the game in the first half with a stomach flu and did not return to the game. Irving finished with two points on merely 1 of 5 from the field in nine minutes played.
Cavaliers shot a solid 51.3 percent from the field, and shot 43.5 percent on 10 of 23 from three-point land. Cavaliers defended well against a great offensive team in the Oklahoma City Thunder as the Cavs held them to only 92 points on 41 percent shooting from the field. This was one of the biggest wins for the Cavaliers this season on the road against one of the best teams in the Western Conference. Cavaliers had a few players who were injured and did not play, but they’re were other players who really stepped up for the Cavs. The Cavs really made a statement in this game and they played with a lot of energy and they dominated the game on both ends of the floor.
The Cavaliers have played really well after the all-star break and if they keep it up, they will really be able to compete for a championship with the Warriors or the Spurs. Irving and Dellavedova were combined for only four points in this game, but the Cavs still scored 115 points, and the Cavs shot very well from the field. Meanwhile, Iman Shumpert did not play in this game with a shoulder injury, and Channing Frye also did not play as he still has not passed his physical. Cavs will play again tomorrow at home against the Detroit Pistons.
For the Thunder, Kevin Durant led the way with 26 points on 10 of 21 from the field, snatched five rebounds, blocked three shots, and drained four three-pointers. Russell Westbrook recorded a double-double with 20 points on 7 of 15 from the field, handed out 11 assists, and gathered nine rebounds. Steven Adams racked up nine points on 4 of 5 from the field to go along with nine rebounds, and two blocked shots. Serge Ibaka notched 12 points on 6 of 14 from the field, blocked two shots, and stripped away two steals. Thunder got embarrassed at home by the Cavaliers and they got blown out by 23 points.
Thunder had a poor shooting night offensively as they shot 41 percent from the field and shot an awful 22.7 percent from three-point range. Nothing was going right offensively for the Thunder. This is a bad sign for the Thunder if they want to ultimately compete in a loaded Western Conference. Thunder had a one point lead at the end of the first quarter, but they played absolutely horrible as the game went on and they ended up losing the game by 23 points. Thunder will look to bounce back next game on the road against the Dallas Mavericks.
Thunder head coach Billy Donovan said “I think the more adversity our team faces, I think the better, because I think that is the only true way to really come together, rise above it.”
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