Red-Hot Thunder, Cavaliers to Make NBA History With Highly Anticipated Matchup

The eyes of the basketball world will be on Cleveland Wednesday.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander defends Darius Garland during the Thunder's 128–120 win over the Cavaliers on Nov. 8, 2023. / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Once in a blue moon in the NBA, a matchup between two truly elite teams comes along in the regular season—and basketball fans are all the better for it.

Such a matchup is in the offing Wednesday evening in Cleveland, as the 30-5 Oklahoma City Thunder are set to take on the 31-4 Cleveland Cavaliers.

Even by their standards, the Thunder and Cavaliers enter this game on fire. Oklahoma City has won 15 games in a row (not including their NBA Cup Final loss, which didn't count as a regular season game) and Cleveland has won 10; per an NBA release, it's the first game in history with one team on a 15-game winning streak and one team on a 10-game winning streak.

That's just one eye-opening statistic about the contest that the NBA has pointed out.

Sources say there's a pretty big game in the National Basketball Association tonight. Plan accordingly. pic.twitter.com/CwLDI6tkIz

— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) January 8, 2025

Where to go from there—with the teams' outrageous combined winning percentage? With their terrific point differentials? This graphic doesn't even make mention of the game's considerable star power as guards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Donovan Mitchell square off.

All told, audiences are in for a treat—and a tantalizing look at the shape of the NBA to come.

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