The much-anticipated rematch between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder did not live up to the hype as the Thunder handed the Cavaliers their sixth and worst loss of the season, 134-114.
Oklahoma City had a lead of 42 at one point in the game, which was quite the opposite of the largest lead in the first meeting this season, which was just nine. The first meeting between the two teams was a hard-fought and gritty battle, yet this one was the exact opposite with a different winner and a much higher margin of defeat.
MVP frontrunner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went off for 40 points and eight assists in just 29 minutes played. It was his fifth 40-point game this season and his first since December.
Lu Dort scored 22 points in 20 minutes on 6-for-9 shooting from three-point range. Dort averages just 9.7 points per game this season and he has not scored over 20 in a game this season until Thursday.
Darius Garland was efficient in limited minutes, finishing with 20 points and nine assists, leading the Cavaliers in both categories.
Jarrett Allen was having one of his better games of the season with 13 points on 6-of-6 shooting from the field before being removed from the game because of the blowout.
Superstar Donovan Mitchell struggled, shooting just 3-of-15 from the field and scoring just eight points. Cleveland as a team shot just 31% from three-point range.
Oklahoma City continues to show why it is the best team in the NBA, and it may be well on their way to reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012.
