Inside The Thunder

Three Takeaways from the OKC Thunder's Comeback Victory in Cleveland

Oklahoma City swayed back and forth Friday night, but ultimately climbed back from a late 10-point deficit to find its second win on the season.

Nathan Aker

Three Takeaways from the OKC Thunder's Comeback Victory in Cleveland
Three Takeaways from the OKC Thunder's Comeback Victory in Cleveland /
In this story:

The Oklahoma City Thunder played its second game of the season on Friday night, spoiling the Cleveland Cavaliers' home opener by clinching a come-from-behind 108-105 victory. 

Against a depleted Cavaliers team — being without two of their All-Stars in Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen — the Thunder opened the first half on a defensive tear, notching a lead as high as 15 while holding Cleveland to as low as 6.3% from 3-point range.

The second half gave Oklahoma City trouble though, as its 10-point advantage out of halftime slowly dwindled with Donovan "Spida" Mitchell finding his rhythm offensively, which saw him post an efficient 43 points on the night.

Fending off a third-quarter run, the Thunder entered the final frame up by just four. Mitchell and the Cavs took hold of the game down the stretch and led by as much as 10, but a 14-2 run within the last three minutes and clutch free throws from Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander witnessed Oklahoma City steal the game outright.

Let's examine three primary takeaways from the Thunder's second contest and second win on the season.

Slo Mo Shai Leads Thunder Past Spida and Co.

The game just continues to keep slowing down for Gilgeous-Alexander. Seemingly in each one he competes in, he improves upon his pace, leverage and overall gravity as a scorer. As he probes around the elbow and dissects the pick-and-roll, it's almost like he's in slow motion. 

Against the No. 1 defense from a year ago in Mitchell and the Cavs, Gilgeous-Alexander put up 34 points on yet another efficient shooting night, going 15-for-26 from the field. But this time, he did it with no points at the charity stripe until he was intentionally fouled at the end of the contest.

It would've been his first night since December 2021 to not have recorded a free throw attempt, had he not been given those free throws to ice the game.

While Mitchell displayed his shifty acceleration and speed to get his 43 points, Gilgeous-Alexander instead flaunted his patience, methodical approach and knowledge of angles to claim his 34, having little help from the refs.

Dort Flashes Heightened Confidence

Lu Dort's confidence was exuberant Friday night, building off a productive performance from Oklahoma City's season-opening victory earlier in the week.

Dort was absolutely imperative for the Thunder's eventual win over Cleveland, as he notched 25 points on 69% shooting with three 3-pointers alongside a steal and a block. Known for his lockdown perimeter defense, Dort's progression as an outside shooting threat is contingent on his selection, preparation and confidence, all of which he showed in the team's win.

Not only was he hitting from outside, but he also converted a massive layup to give the Thunder a 104-102 lead with 28.6 seconds to go before the Cavs called timeout. 

Out of the break, Dort did what he does best and locked down Mitchell on a potential game-tying right dribble pull-up just past the elbow, which would ultimately help Oklahoma City pull out the win.

"I'm one of the best defenders in the NBA," Lu Dort said postgame, reported by The Oklahoman's Joe Mussato. "I train for those type of moments. He's a really tough cover, he's a really great player... At least it wasn't easy."

Chet Finds his Footing, and Defensive Presence too

Chet Holmgren's welcoming to the league was a bit harsh, as the Chicago Bulls' big man tandem of Nikola Vucevic and Andre Drummond gave the rookie all he could handle.

But on Friday night matched up against Evan Mobley, a 6-foot-11, 215-pound forward, Holmgren was fine-tuned and ready to defend. By halftime, the 7-foot-1 former Gonzaga Bulldog had handed out a welcoming party of his own by capturing five blocks, multiple coming against Mobley.

Holmgren would close the game with seven swats, breaking Aleksej Pokusevski's record for most blocks by a Thunder rookie in a single game.

With that, Holmgren nearly clinched a triple-double with blocks, as he posted 16 points on nine shots with 13 rebounds, which was much improved from his lowly four rebounds against Vucevic and Drummond.

It's only been a game, and while he was certainly better suited against Mobley, Holmgren still has already shown flares of being a special defender in the NBA.  

Next, the Thunder host the reigning NBA Champions in the Denver Nuggets in its home opener at 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 29 inside Paycom Center.

Want to join the discussion? Like Inside the Thunder on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind our coverage.

Published
Nathan Aker
NATHAN AKER

Nathan is a senior at the University of Oklahoma majoring in Public Relations set to graduate in May 2024. He holds experience covering multiple sports, primarily basketball, at the high school and collegiate level. 

Home/News