CLEVELAND — The highly anticipated NBA matchup between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder lived up to the hype as the Cavaliers secured a thrilling 129-122 victory on Wednesday night. With this win, the Cavaliers extended their remarkable winning streak to 11 games and improved their league-best record to 32-4, simultaneously ending the Thunder’s impressive 15-game run.
This matchup marked a historic occasion, as it was the inaugural instance in NBA history where a team enjoying a winning streak of at least 15 games faced off against an opponent on a streak of at least 10 consecutive victories.
Here’s a breakdown of some key statistics from the game:
Cleveland’s season record now stands at 32-4, tying them for the fifth-best start over the past 36 games in NBA history. The only teams that have performed better include the Golden State Warriors, who started 34-2 during the 2015-16 season, as well as the Philadelphia 76ers in 1966-67, the Los Angeles Lakers in 1971-72, and the Chicago Bulls in 1995-96, each beginning their seasons with 33-3 records. The Cavaliers now join only Philadelphia (1980-81) and Chicago (1996-97) in boasting a 32-4 start.
On the other hand, Oklahoma City holds a record of 30-6, which is the 18th-best through 36 games in the history of the league.
The game was tightly contested, with the Cavaliers leading 103-102 at the conclusion of the third quarter. This match became only the seventh instance this season where both teams scored over 100 points after three quarters.
The excitement continued with an impressive 30 lead changes throughout the game. This showdown was only the second this season to see such a high number of lead exchanges, trailing only Atlanta’s 134-132 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, which featured 32 lead changes.
The third quarter ended with Oklahoma City narrowly outscoring Cleveland 43-41, marking the first occurrence this season where both teams managed to score 40 or more points in a single quarter.
Tension remained high throughout, as neither team led by more than single digits—Cleveland’s largest lead reached seven points while Oklahoma City’s stretched to nine.
Defensive struggles were apparent, particularly for the Thunder, who allowed a season-high 129 points. Oklahoma City has demonstrated dominance this season, holding a record of 29-1 when limiting opponents to fewer than 115 points, while they have struggled with a 1-5 record in all other scenarios. As a result of this defeat, the Thunder slipped behind Orlando in the league’s points-allowed-per-game standings, with Oklahoma City now averaging 103.7 points allowed per game, compared to Orlando’s 103.2.
Conversely, Cleveland showed offensive prowess, improving to an impressive 19-1 record when scoring 120 points or more in a game this season.
