Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a season-high 43 points and hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 32.6 seconds remaining, leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 117-112 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night in Cleveland. The game opened a back-to-back set for both teams.
Gilgeous-Alexander took 35 shots, the most in the NBA during the first two weeks of the season, and made 14 of them. He also went 11-of-12 from the free throw line in 38 minutes. The injury-depleted Thunder bounced back after two straight road losses by 20-plus points.
Thunder Rely on Their Star
Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault said his team leaned heavily on Gilgeous-Alexander in the victory. “He was putting a ton of pressure on their defense, and he had the look in his eye tonight, so we obviously rode him offensively,” Daigneault said. “It’s not our identity for 82 games, but there’s some nights when, like I said, you got a player like that that you got to just cut him loose, and he delivered in a big way.”
Oklahoma City has been reeling since losing three starters to long-term injuries. Ajay Mitchell scored 20 points, and Isaiah Hartenstein pulled down 14 rebounds.
Fourth Quarter Goes Down to the Wire
The fourth quarter featured eight ties and eight lead changes before Gilgeous-Alexander drilled his fourth 3-pointer. Cleveland’s Sam Merrill missed a corner 3-pointer on the possession before Mitchell sank two free throws with 15.4 seconds left to make it a two-possession game.
Cleveland opened the fourth quarter on an 18-9 run but could not sustain its momentum.
Cavaliers Respond Late
Rookie Meleek Thomas, making his first NBA start, and Donovan Mitchell each led Cleveland with 17 points. Donovan Mitchell also added 11 assists, and Evan Mobley scored 16 points.
The loss marked the Cavaliers’ first home defeat in four games this season.
Oklahoma City Builds and Holds a Lead
There were 15 lead changes and two ties in the first half. The Thunder then went on a 16-6 run over the final five minutes of the second quarter to take a 59-48 halftime lead.
Gilgeous-Alexander made a pair of free throws to extend Oklahoma City’s advantage to 69-55 with 9:26 remaining in the third quarter. Cleveland fought back by shooting 9-of-17 from beyond the arc in that period.
The teams meet again Wednesday in Oklahoma City.