CLEVELAND _ It was supposed to be a celebration of the greatest player in Cavaliers history, a coronation of LeBron James as the seventh member of the NBA's 30,000-point club.
But like nearly everything during a rocky, rollercoaster season for the Cavaliers, it did not work out according to plan Saturday afternoon against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Quicken Loans Arena.
Leaving the game with 6:37 remaining in a 148-124 loss, James totaled 18 points and fell seven shy of the milestone. He will pick up the chase Tuesday night at San Antonio.
The Thunder's 148 points tied the franchise record for the most scored against the Cavs in a regulation game, matching the dubious mark set on Jan. 2, 1972 against Philadelphia.
James spoke on Thursday how special it would be to make history at home in front of his three children. Also on the court with him were two members of his inner circle, the Cavs' Dwyane Wade and the Thunder's Carmelo Anthony.
But James scored just nine points in the first half and didn't reach double digits until he was awarded a basket on a goaltending call with 4:18 left in the third quarter. He went into the final quarter with 18 points, but missed his only two attempts before departing.
During a frustrating day, James found himself blanketed by Paul George and the Cavs found it difficult to get him the ball. James hit 8 of 17 field goals, went 0 for 4 on 3s and 2 of 4 from the free-throw line. He added three rebounds and seven assists.
James (29,993 points) had hoped to join Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387), Karl Malone (36,928), Kobe Bryant (33,643), Michael Jordan (32,292), Wilt Chamberlain (31,419) and Dirk Nowitzki (30,808) in the exclusive club.
The Cavs (27-18) lost for the 10th time in their last 14 games, while the Thunder (26-20) won their fourth consecutive game.
The Thunder starters totally outplayed the Cavs, scoring 121 points to the Cavs' 67. George scored 36 points, Anthony had a season-high 29 with 10 rebounds and 2017 league MVP Russell Westbrook totaled 23 points, eight rebounds and 19 assists, three shy of tying his career high.
The Cavs also had no answer for 7-foot center Steven Adams, who scored 25 points on 12 of 13 shooting from the field, and added 10 rebounds.
Isaiah Thomas scored a season-high 24 points for the Cavs, while Jae Crowder added 17. The Cavs got 57 points from their bench, with Jeff Green and Derrick Rose scoring 12 apiece and Dwyane Wade 11.
Kevin Love only played three minutes because of illness and was replaced by Tristan Thompson early in the first quarter.
The Cavs had led at the half in their last three games, two of them losses, but a lethargic start doomed that. The Cavs shot just 39 percent in the first quarter and James scored just three points as the Thunder jumped ahead by 20 and ended the period with a 43-24 lead. Adams went 5 for 5 from the field as the Thunder claimed a 22-12 edge in the paint.
The Thunder's 43 points were the most allowed by the Cavs in a quarter this season, surpassing 40 by the Magic on Jan. 6. According to ESPN Stats & Info, that tied for the second-most allowed in a first quarter by a James team.
Oklahoma City shot 63 percent from the field and 56 percent from 3-point range as George pumped in 13 points on 4 of 6 shooting, including 3 of 4 from long range. The Thunder also totaled 13 assists on 17 baskets.
Fans were not amused, booing as coach Tyronn Lue was forced to take a timeout at the 4:27 mark with the Cavs trailing 33-14.
Lue went to his second unit to start the second quarter and they ripped off a 10-0 run to start a comeback. Green, Wade and Rose led the charge as the bench scored 22 points in the period.
But the Cavs' poor shooting prevented them from getting any closer than nine points, 50-42, in the second quarter. They finished the half 2 of 16 from 3-point range. After going 1 for 17 in the second half Thursday against the Orlando Magic, that meant they were 3 for their last 33 from beyond the arc.
The Thunder led 76-60 at the half, the most points surrendered by the Cavs in a half this season. The previous high was 69 twice in the first half, most recently by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
James might have assured himself he'd reach 30,000 at home if not for a pedestrian effort on Thursday, when he scored 16 points, going 0 for 4 from long range and 2 for 8 from the free-throw line.
The Cavs slipped to 4-2 in their last six games against the Thunder, but Oklahoma City added George and Anthony in the offseason. Lue said he realized on Friday the tough challenge presented with those two All-Stars playing with Westbrook.
"Melo, he shoots the ball extremely well. He's a matchup problem," Lue said. "Paul George (is) the same way. I think Russ putting the pressure on the defense in transition and in the half court, and then Adams is just a bigtime screener, rolling to the basket, great offensive rebounder.
"Especially starting small, we got to do a good job of all five guys rebounding. If you can't get it, at least tapping it out so other guys can get it. So we got to be engaged as far as rebounding the basketball. Especially with big Adams in the paint."
