CLEVELAND, Ohio — An NBA Finals preview?
Hardly.
The Cavs lost to the reigning NBA champion Thunder, 136-104, on Monday afternoon inside Rocket Arena.
“Total domination,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said following the blowout loss. “Defense, offense, I just think they showed why they’re champions. They dominated us — in every phase.”
When the regular-season schedule got released back in August, this was considered a marquee matchup — the second of three on the league’s Martin Luther King Jr. national television lineup. It featured the reigning NBA champs, the Western Conference’s best, and the hyped Cavs — the supposed East co-favorite and title hopeful.
The Thunder, now 36-8, have looked the part. The Cavs have not.
It played out that way Monday afternoon.
Neither team close to full strength, Oklahoma City seemed better, deeper, tougher, faster and scrappier. It was more diverse, more skilled, more athletic and more connected.
A substantial mismatch from start to finish.
There were three lead changes and one tie. Cleveland’s biggest advantage was two. It was in front for 77 seconds — total. Oklahoma City, meanwhile, led for 46 minutes, by a game-high 32.
It was a double-digit Thunder advantage for all but 39 seconds of the second half, when the Cavs closed to within nine on three separate occasions.
“I do think these games happen in the NBA,” Atkinson said. “You get blown out. I don’t feel like we’ve had a lot of these. I feel like it’s been pretty sporadic. You almost have to flush it. Obviously, we’ll look at it, we’ll try to get better from it, but we’ve gotta move on.”
The Thunder were without All-Star swingman Jalen Williams — the team’s third leading scorer who is set to miss a couple weeks with a hamstring injury — and starting center Isaiah Hartenstein (calf strain).
The number of available players dwindled even more as the game progressed, with defensive nuisance Alex Caruso suffering a groin injury in the first half and fill-in starter Jaylin Williams exiting with a sore back after just eight minutes.
Those injuries left OKC with essentially eight guys.
Plenty enough against the wounded, underachieving Cavaliers who didn’t have Darius Garland (right great toe sprain), Sam Merrill (sprained right hand) or Max Strus (foot surgery) — three key players expected to be in the every-night rotation.
After trailing by 15 at halftime, the Cavs watched helplessly as Oklahoma City opened the third on a grimy 8-3 run. It was a four-minute stretch in which the Thunder forced four Cavaliers turnovers, causing groans and boos inside the arena.
Even though the Thunder advantage remained double digits for most of the third, the Cavs were only down 12 going into the fourth quarter — a manageable margin given that reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was set for his usual rest.
Plus, the Cavs have become known for being able to mount furious comebacks.
Not Monday.
With Gilgeous-Alexander on the bench, the battle-tested Thunder outscored Cleveland 11-5 in the first two-plus minutes of the fourth, sending it into an 18-point hole and causing Atkinson to call for a timeout.
There was no chance to regroup Monday. The Thunder defense smothered the Cavs and sucked the life out of a sold-out and once-boisterous building.
Oklahoma City outscored Cleveland, 45-25, in the fourth quarter, sending fans to the exits early.
“Their defense is so good,” Jarrett Allen said. “I felt like it took us out of what we’re so good at, getting down the court, sharing the ball, and just making sure everything’s smooth. Credit to them, they disrupted us. That’s because of their great defense.”
Gilgeous-Alexander tallied a game-high 30 points in 34 minutes. Chet Holmgren added 28 points. Lu Dort chipped in with 18 on the offensive end while hounding Cleveland leading scorer Donovan Mitchell on defense. Isaiah Joe erupted for 16 off the bench in 25 impactful minutes.
The Cavs were led by Mitchell who got snubbed as an Eastern Conference All-Star starter about 30 minutes before tipoff. Mitchell mustered just 19 points on an inefficient 5 of 18 from the field and 1 of 9 from 3-point range.
“Lu Dort is one of the best defenders in the league,” Atkinson said. “Proved it again tonight.”
Allen, Evan Mobley, Jaylon Tyson and De’Andre Hunter each had 16 points.
Playing against the NBA’s top-ranked defense, Cleveland shot 37.4% from the field 22.9% from beyond the arc. It committed more turnovers (21) than assists (20). Made just eight triples — just the second time all season failing to reach the double-figure mark. Were outscored from beyond the arc by 45 points. Completely out of sorts.
“I think watching them defensively, they make the little rotations,” Mitchell explained. “They do the little things consistently. I think that’s where we’ve been at our best — when we do little things consistently. They’re elite at it. They’re defending champions for a reason. I think taking that and kind of stealing something from them, watching their habits one-through-15.”
Prior to the game, Atkinson said his team would be extra hyped to play the Thunder — a chance to measure themselves against the best and perhaps send a statement.
So much for that.
Cleveland doesn’t measure up to the Thunder, who even with a few perplexing stumbles this month have the highest point differential in NBA history, surpassing their own mark from 2024-25.
That’s the standard. That’s what a title team looks like.
Only one team that played in Cleveland on Monday looks the part.
Up next
The Cavs will travel to Charlotte for a matchup with the Hornets on Wednesday night. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.