The Cavaliers break Thunder’s 15-game winning streak in the battle of the NBA’s best

The Cavaliers break Thunder’s 15-game winning streak in the battle of the NBA’s best

CLEVELAND – Jarrett Allen scored 25 points, Evan Mobley added 21 and the Cleveland Cavaliers ended Oklahoma City’s 15-game winning streak with a 129-122 win over the Thunder on Wednesday night in a top matchup between the nation’s top two teams N.B.A.

The Cavs, who host the Raptors on Friday night, extended their winning streak to 11, improved the league’s best record to 32-4 – 11-0 vs. West – and moved to 19-1 at home.

They did it on a poor night for leading scorer Donovan Mitchell, who scored just 11 points on 3 of 16 shooting.


Jarrett Allen, who scored 25 points, goes for a layup as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander defends in the Cavaliers' 129-122 victory over the Thunder on Jan. 8, 2025.
Jarrett Allen, who scored 25 points, goes for a layup as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander defends in the Cavaliers’ 129-122 victory over the Thunder on Jan. 8, 2025. AP

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points and Jalen Williams 25 for the Thunder (30-6), who will face the Knicks on Friday night at the Garden.

It was Oklahoma City’s first loss since December 1st.

Even though it’s only January and there’s still a lot of basketball to come, the intensity of the game had the feel of a June finals.

There were 30 lead changes and none of the teams led by more than nine.

The duel was only the third in history between teams with double-digit winning streaks.

The last time this happened was on January 26, 1995, when Seattle and Utah each came into the game with a 10-game winning streak.


A smiling Donovan Mitchell pours water on Jarrett Allen as the Cavaliers celebrate their victory over the Thunder after the game.
A smiling Donovan Mitchell pours water on Jarrett Allen as the Cavaliers celebrate their victory over the Thunder after the game. Getty Images

Takeaways

Thunder: Gilgeous-Alexander is the team’s undisputed star, but Oklahoma City has some nice pieces.

Center Isaiah Hartenstein, a former Knick, finished the game with 18 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.

Cavaliers: Cleveland has shown its poise and depth and has shown that it can get by without Mitchell.



Mobley and Allen combined for 22 rebounds and 13 assists. Darius Garland had 18 points, seven assists and a floater to pace OKC.

Key moment

With Cleveland leading 125-122, Mitchell was called for a loose ball foul with 1:19 left.

The Cavs challenged and the call was overturned through replay review. Mobley then hit a 10-footer in the lane to put Cleveland ahead by five.

Key statistics

Only four teams have posted a better record than Cleveland through 36 games: Golden State (34-2) in the 2015-16 season, Philadelphia (33-3) in the 1966-67 season and the Los Angeles Lakers (33-3) in the 1971-72 season and Chicago (33-3) in 1995-96.

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