There were a few key parts of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 117-101 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday.
Guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander followed through on his reassurance from Friday night that he would play better, as he finished with 31 points and nine assists. The bench played well, particularly in the first half, when they recorded 29 of the Thunder’s 62 points. The defense was once again solid, holding the Cavaliers to 101 points on 46.4% shooting from the field and 22.9% from 3.
The basic way to put it: The Thunder played well in a game they were expected to and beat a team that they should take down. Oklahoma City had a nice, straightforward win against a team hampered by injuries, a rather calm performance after weeks of craziness in both victories and defeats.
“It’s important for us to come out there and win the games that we feel like we’re supposed to win,” said guard Hamidou Diallo, who scored 15 points off the bench.
Here are four takeaways from the game:
