Oklahoma City Thunder (44-14) beat Cleveland Cavaliers (36-22) 121-113 at home on Sunday, February 22.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Thunder had the better start, winning the first 40-25 to lead by 15 after one. The Cavaliers cut into the deficit with a 30-24 second quarter, though the Thunder still led by 9 at halftime.
The Cavaliers won the third 31-25 to stay in front, taking a 3-point lead into the fourth. The Thunder took the fourth 32-27; the Thunder finished the job for a 121-113 regulation win.
What decided it
The Thunder got more from their shots, finishing at 61% effective field-goal shooting compared with 55.6% for the Cavaliers. The Thunder made 18.6 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 15.7 for the Cavaliers. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
At roughly 101 possessions per team, the Thunder produced 119.6 points per 100 possessions to 111.7 for the Cavaliers.
Who made the difference
Cason Wallace was the game's biggest individual force for OKC: 20 pts, 4 reb, 10 ast, 3 stl on 7-17 shooting. His Game Score of 21.1 led everyone. His team was +13 with him on the floor.
James Harden led the Cavaliers with 20 pts, 5 reb, 9 ast on 8-14 shooting, good for a 15.9 Game Score.
Chet Holmgren (17 pts, 15 reb, 4 ast), Cason Wallace (20 pts, 4 reb, 10 ast), and Jarrett Allen (11 pts, 13 reb, 2 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Thunder about a 68% chance.
Across the last 3 meetings in our records, Oklahoma City Thunder lead 2-1.
The Thunder are now 44-14, and the Cavaliers are 36-22. The Thunder last five before this game: L-W-W-L-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.