On Thursday, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder met for a rematch of their thrilling game that took place last week, and OKC was able to get some revenge in round two.
After the Cavs nipped the Thunder last week, Oklahoma City made a statement on Thursday, beating Cleveland 134-114 in a game that wasn’t even as close as the score may indicate.
Following the blowout loss, Cavs owner Dan Gilbert penned a message on social media.
Well it wasn’t a pretty one, but it’s just one game. Let’s learn what we can from it and move on. #LetEmKnow
— Dan Gilbert (@cavsdan) January 17, 2025
It was a night to forget for the Cavs, who trailed by nearly 40 after three quarters. OKC led by as many as 42 at one point in the game. Cleveland got lackluster performances from players like Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley while Oklahoma City was the beneficiary of a 40-point game from star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The Cavs and Thunder won’t play again in the 2024-25 regular season, meaning their series will end in a 1-1 tie. They could theoretically meet in the 2025 NBA Finals, but there’s a long way to go before then. The two teams now have identical records at 34-6, so it could be a tight battle to see which team finishes ahead of the other in the race for the NBA’s top record.
Cleveland has now lost two of its last three games. That type of stretch is bound to happen over the course of a season, but when a team has been as dominant as the Cavs, losing starts to become an unfamiliar feeling. As such, some fans may be feeling a bit sour amid the recent struggles.
The good news is that earlier this season, after the team lost two straight games near the end of November, the Cavs responded by winning 16 of their next 17 games. If Cleveland can put together a similar stretch in the coming weeks, all will be forgiven.
The Cavs are still on pace to win 70 games and finish with the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. A regular season like that would be one for the books. For now, all the team can do is shift its focus to its next task: a matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday.
