Oklahoma City went into Cleveland and crushed the Cavs, 121-106, on Saturday night.
The Thunder remains perfect in the new year, having carried over their winning streak from December. OKC has won five in a row, and nine of their last 10.
Here are three takeaways from Oklahoma City’s win over the Cavaliers:
OKC gets balanced scoring from starters and bench
The Thunder had six players in double-digits on Saturday night. Dennis Schroder came off the bench to lead the way with 22, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Gallinari weren’t far behind, with 20 and 19, respectively.
It was Schroder’s 17th game this season in which he’s come off the bench to score 20 or more points. That’s the best in the NBA this season, as Schroder continues to make a strong case for Sixth Man of the Year.
Kevin Love looks like he’s over it
Kevin Love’s frustration with the Cavaliers was essentially summed up in one play Saturday night.
Late in the first half, Love was in the post and being guarded by Chris Paul. Love has just a slight height advantage in that matchup.
Love was calling for the ball, but Collin Sexton kept dribbling near midcourt. Finally, Love came to the top of the key, got the ball, and then fired a low pass over to Cedi Osman, who threw up an off the mark three.
This isn’t the first instance of visible frustration on the part of Love. He was fined following an outburst on the bench during Cleveland’s loss to the Raptors on Thursday.
Love has been rumored to be on the move, however recent reports have indicated that the Phoenix Suns, thought to be interested in adding Love, might actually want to bring in Danilo Gallinari instead.
Nerlens Noel injured, no update on his status
Nerlens Noel went down in a heap under the basket during the third quarter. When chasing a ball on its way out of bounds, he stepped on the left foot of Tristan Thompson and suffered a nasty looked rolled ankle.
Noel left the game and did not return.
Afterward, Billy Donovan told reporters he did not know the extent of Noel’s injury and would hopefully have an update on Sunday.
