Turnovers, Slow Start Costs Cavaliers Against Thunder

The Cleveland Cavaliers lost the season series to the Oklahoma City Thunder

The Cleveland Cavaliers aren't making anything easy on themselves. 

Yes, they've dealt with injuries that have hurt in the early part of the season. However, the team was near full strength on Wednesday night as they lost 120-128 to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The game film from this matchup won't be one the Cavaliers enjoy looking back at.

Another Slow Start

Once again, the Cavs got off to a slow start in the first half of the game. The Thunder outscored them 36-29 in the first quarter and 34-28 in the second and just like, Cleveland was down 70-57 after the first 24 minutes.

The Cavaliers did cut Oklahoma City's lead to just four points in the fourth quarter, but at that point, it was too late. Just like in Indiana, this slow start cost Cleveland late in the second half.

J.B. Bickerstaff perfectly encapsulated Cleveland's current problems saying, "The signs of good to great teams is consistency." That's something the Cavs don't currently have. 

It's impressive and says a lot about this team that they're not willing to give up when down almost 20 points. However, they wouldn't be in that situation if they played a full, consistent 48 minutes of basketball.

Turnovers

The slow start the Cavs got off to wasn't the only damaging factor in this loss. Cleveland's turnovers may have single-handedly lost them the game. 

The Cavaliers finished the game committing a total of 20 turnovers which is a new season high. To the Thunder's credit, they took advantage of every opportunity Cleveland gave to them and ended up scoring 30 points off Cavalier miscues.

Nov 8, 2023; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) defends a drive by Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) during the second quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports / © Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

Turnovers ended up being the real difference maker when you consider that the Cavs only lost by eight points. Eliminating a quarter of them could have meant a different outcome for the wine and gold.

Darius Garland especially struggled with ball security as he finished with a team-high eight turnovers. In fact, the only Cavalier that played and didn't give the ball away was Donovan Mitchell.

Cleveland's focus needs to quickly shift to their next opponent the Golden State Warriors. The Cavs could be in for a long game if they have similar issues.