CLEVELAND – It was wrong to use injuries as an excuse for the Cleveland Cavaliers’ many losses this season. They have enough talent in this defeat to still win. Monday afternoon was different. They didn’t have the right combination of skill players to compete against the Oklahoma City Thunder and were completely outplayed as a result, resulting in a 32-point loss.
The Cavs were without Darius Garland (toe), Sam Merrill (hand), and Max Strus (foot). That’s the wrong combination of guys that will be lost against an Oklahoma City defense that can wreak havoc on teams that don’t have many playmakers.
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Donovan Mitchell struggled against the Thunder. It seems that Lu Dort was created in the workshop to make life difficult for Mitchell. He is one of the few guard linebackers who can match Mitchell’s combination of speed and athleticism. In two games last season, Mitchell totaled 19 points on 6-31 shooting.
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That trend continued. Mitchell made the game-opening basket, but then went cold. He couldn’t get past Dort and couldn’t shoot well from behind the arc to make up for that. Mitchell finished the night with 19 points on 5-18 shooting to go along with three assists.
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The Cavs’ offense has struggled as a result. They went 4-18 (22.2%) from beyond the arc in the first half. That won’t do it against a Thunder team that does such a good job protecting the paint. This led to Cleveland being down 15 points at halftime.
The Cavs showed some fight in the third quarter. The Thunder pushed the lead to 20 early in the frame, but the Cavs were able to make it a contest by cutting the deficit to nine late in the quarter. But that was as close as they would go in the second half.
Any comeback was dependent on falling by three balls. That never happened as the Cavs finished the game shooting 8-25 (22.9%) from three.
The Thunder made it a one-sided affair in the fourth quarter. They won the quarter 45-25 to make this game much darker than it felt in the first three quarters.
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Oklahoma City’s defense made the Cleveland Bulls hit the way they were able to protect Mitchell. Cavs officials could not do so. Mobley’s box looks great. He finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, but he didn’t have the superstar impact the Cavs needed to have if they were going to win this one.
Jarrett Allen added 16 points and nine rebounds.
The Thunder were led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren. SGA had a game-high 30 points on 12-20 shooting to go along with three assists. Holmgren contributed 28 points and eight rebounds.
Even though the Thunder were missing two starters in Jalen Williams (hamstring) and Isaiah Hartenstein (right soleus), they were able to maintain their identity. Cleveland was not there. The Cavs didn’t have the shooting or playmaking skills to play the way they wanted. And right now, that’s what separates Cleveland from the really top teams.
The Cavaliers will return to action on Wednesday as they head to face a Charlotte Hornets team that has been playing better than expected in their last few games. Touched at 7 PM.
