With a great Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder took down the Cavs

The beautiful dynamics of Thunder continued last night, with a good victory against the Clevelandthe sixth in the last eight games, won in style, at the end of a match that was completely controlled by the teammates in a very good Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (35 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals).

Leading the scoring for a good portion of the first half, OKC frantically increased the defensive intensity upon returning from the locker room, gradually using the Cavaliers as they gradually lost their momentum on offense, like this hungry fourth quarter with 22 points on 32% shots.

In the end, the Thunder finished quietly, picking up 15 late game points to calmly secure their 24th win of the season, thanks to a highly effective offense in the run-up to their potential Canadian All-Star next month : 53 % on shots , including 56% from behind the arc (10/18)!

Deprived of Donovan Mitchellnewly named among the holders of the All-Star Game, for the fifth time in six games, the Cavaliers were unable to counter, on both sides of the field, a good night of attack from their opponents, despite 31 points and 13 assists from Darius Garland (but only 44% including 28% behind the arc collectively), and then continue to lose ground in the Top 3 of the Eastern Conference.

WHAT YOU SHOULD REMEMBER

– Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs. Darius Garland. Of course, the match was not just a duel between the two starting leaders, but the latter two certainly made it more interesting. With 35 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals for the first, and 31 points, 13 assists and 4 steals for the second, the opposite two best players of the meeting really fulfilled all its promises, in different ways. styles, and the Canadian Thunder are leading, better helped by him supporting cast than his Cavaliers counterpart.

– A well distributed score for the Thunder. With 50 points scored in the paint and 30 points behind the three-point line, OKC effectively managed to perfectly alternate their phases of attack, offering no rest in a surprisingly disinterested and focused opposing defense, but the second best in the league, facing 15th. attack “only”.

TOPS/FLOPS

✅ Josh Giddey, Jalen Williams and Aaron Wiggins. We are talking about a supporting cast effective around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the Thunder’s side, and these three players, holders, perfectly embody this idea. All-around at will (42 points, 19 rebounds and 7 assists in total), the two sophomores and the newbie brought a strong and decisive amount of play, as a relay for “SGA”, and above all continue to impose themselves as the foundations of this exciting Thunder project.

✅ Evan Mobley. Solid double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds (and 2 blocks) for the second-year interior, effective in Darius Garland’s shadow. Dominating near the circle (14 points), he also converted his two winning shot attempts, facing the particular “small-ball” interior sector, on the Oklahoma City side.

⛔️ Caris LeVert. Holder in position 2 to compensate for the absence of Donovan Mitchell, the joker of the Cavaliers unfortunately remembered, with the poor quality of his performance, why “Spida” is a holder in the All-Star Game: 2 points in 1/12 until shots! A night that will quickly be forgotten, though 9 assists did come in to limit the damage a bit.

THE FOLLOWING

– Thunder (24-25): reception of Warriors, in the evening from Monday to Tuesday (02h).

– Riders (30-21): reception of Clippers, in the evening of Sunday to Monday (01h).