CLEVELAND – After the Cavaliers won their 11th straight game on Wednesday night, 129-122 over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the most anticipated game of the regular season, Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson walked into the locker room and received a message from his players.
“The players said, ‘We do not win this game last year,'” Atkinson said.
On a night when franchise cornerstone Donovan Mitchell went 3-for-16, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen — who combined for 46 points and 22 rebounds — were ferocious inside, repeatedly fighting off multiple Thunder defenders to secure offensive rebounds or flying over them for easy dunks. Darius Garland, who suffered a fractured jaw and its lingering effects last season, finished with 18 points and 7 assists, including the game-winning bucket in the final seconds.
As a result, Cleveland snapped Oklahoma City’s 15-game winning streak and improved to 32-4, on track to equal the Golden State Warriors’ record of 73 regular-season wins in 2015-16.
“It just speaks to our growth,” Mitchell said. “I told everyone after the game that as a team, we did not win this game last year. Everyone who came in had a positive impact on the game, whether it was scoring, rebounding, or defending. That is a team victory, and that is what it will take for us to become the team we desire to be.
“And, honestly, man, that is a huge victory. I think we are all excited about it, and while this is only one game and no championships are won tonight, it is something to be proud of.
It is only the first full week of January, but the hype and buildup to this game — featuring two teams that had already surpassed 30 wins and were on track for 70 — made it feel like it was played in the spring.
The fact that both teams had not played since Sunday, giving them two full days to prepare, contributed to what both coaches described as a “elevated” atmosphere, with one viewing it as an opportunity for their young teams to learn and grow ahead of what they hope will be deep postseason runs.
“It is so awesome,” Atkinson said of the atmosphere surrounding the game during his pregame press conference. “It is like you are at the NCAA tournament. It is like, ‘Man, we got here.’ There is that kind of buzz.”
And, despite all of the hype surrounding the game, the final product far exceeded expectations. It was a thrilling back-and-forth, with 30 lead changes, eight ties, tons of end-to-end action, and plenty of ball movement and excitement.
While there were many contributors to Cleveland’s victory, including Max Strus and Ty Jerome going 12-for-14 for 32 points off the bench, as well as rebounding and Garland’s performance, Mobley’s continued rise stood out the most.
The fourth-year big man, who finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, a steal, and a block in 35 minutes (8-for-13 shooting), caused the Thunder problems on both ends.
He repeatedly caused problems for Oklahoma City when it attacked the basket, and in a sign of how much he has grown since last season, on the game’s biggest possession — with Cleveland up by three with just over a minute remaining — Mobley isolated at the top of the key, drove right into Isaiah Hartenstein’s chest, and finished over him to put the game out of reach.
“They finally learned who Evan Mobley is, and they still have a lot more to learn,” Allen said of the national audience that watched the game. “He did everything for us.” On the defensive end, he made stops.
On the offensive end, we literally just drew up a play, handed him the ball, and told him to go to work, and he delivered a big bucket in the end. “So they are learning about him.”
For the Thunder, it was a chance to learn. MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points but took 27 shots, while Jalen Williams had 25 points and 9 assists in a strong comeback from a rough game against the Boston Celtics on Sunday.
While the Thunder struggled to contain Mobley and Allen on the boards, the presence of 7-foot-1 Chet Holmgren — as well as defensive ace Alex Caruso — on the sidelines in street clothes served as a reminder of how drastically different a potential matchup between these teams could look in a few months once both are fully operational.
It was also the Thunder’s second high-profile loss in recent weeks, following their defeat to the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Cup final, which did not count in the standings. When asked if there was anything to take away from the two games, or if anything connected them, Gilgeous-Alexander shrugged.
“No,” he replied. “We have just lost twice in a month and a half. It is unfortunate that these are the high-profile games, but as I previously stated, we are all humans out there. You can not be perfect. And losing twice in a month and a half is acceptable, regardless of the stage of the games.”
For the Cavaliers, however, it was a high-profile game that reinforced their belief that they are every bit the title contender that their record indicates.
“It is very clear that we belong here,” Mitchell stated. “I do not believe we are waiting for the national media to say, ‘Oh, they belong.'” I think we knew, but you have to go out there and prove it.
“We went 31-4; people still do not believe. We won tonight, but people still do not believe. We have to continue to be ourselves.”