There was no shock between the two best NBA teams of the season, as the Oklahoma City Thunder, powered by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, dominated the Cleveland Cavaliers (134-114) on the night of Thursday in Friday.
A slap, and an identical result
The two sensation teams from the start of the season now offer the same record (34 wins – 6 losses), OKC in the lead in the West, and Cleveland at the top in the East. The Thunder and Cavaliers won't face each other again unless they both reach the NBA Finals in June, a scenario they make credible week after week.
And if a good regular season does not guarantee anything in the play-offs, this is not the case for the MVP distinction, which is built throughout the 82 matches of each team. Once again phenomenal, the Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took a step towards this honorary title, which should be contested by the triple MVP Nikola Jokic.
“SGA”, second in the MVP ranking last year behind the Serbian, dazzled the meeting with 40 points on 17 out of 26 shooting, 3 rebounds and 8 assists, in his percussion style. The 26-year-old Canadian launched his team, which inflicted a 22-2 on the “Cavs” at the end of the first quarter, never to let up.
Gilgeous-Alexander still essential
“We had a good performance tonight, we did what we had to do. But for us, it was a match like any other, another evening of staying together, of being competitive“, he tempered at the microphone of the broadcaster TNT. SGA still admitted its satisfaction with such a result against a reference team: “Of course, it's the cream of the crop, we obviously want to test ourselves against the best to find out where we stand.“
Gilgeous-Alexander had reached halftime with 26 points, while his team already led 75 to 49! He extinguished any possibility of a comeback at the start of the 3rd quarter with a powerful two-handed dunk. The Canadian, already a two-time All-Star, was helped by Luguentz Dort (22 points) and Jalen Williams (19 points).
OKC's performance is all the more remarkable as the Thunder played without its two pivots, Chet Holmgren, injured since mid-November, and Isaiah Hartenstein, injured in the calf. Without its “big guys”, the Thunder still managed to extinguish the powerful interiors of the Cavaliers Evan Mobley (5 points) and Jarrett Allen (13 points), only the leader Darius Garland surviving (20 points).
Oklahoma City is gaining momentum under the leadership of a young coach, Mark Daigneault, named coach of the year in 2024, who took over the team from its lowest point in 2020. After two seasons at the bottom of the rankings, OKC had reached the play-offs in 2023 then the conference semi-finals last season, released by Dallas, after finishing the regular season in the lead in the West.
Alex Sarr takes a shot in front of Kevin Durant, January 17, 2025.
Credit: Getty Images
-Coulibaly and Sarr serious, but Washington powerless
In Washington, the Phoenix Suns beat the Wizards (130 to 123) who never recovered from a catastrophic start to the match. Led by their All-Star duo Kevin Durant (22 points and 6 rebounds) and Devin Booker (37 points and 5 assists), the Suns only had to unfold, even if the Wizards came back to two possessions within 'one minute from the end, before faltering.
The two Frenchmen, Bilal Coulibaly (13 points) and Alexandre Sarr (16 points and 9 rebounds), played a serious match, the pivot participating with several defensive gestures in his team's comeback in the final minutes.
In Sacramento, the Kings of DeMar DeRozan (31 points) emerged victorious in a superb duel against the Houston Rockets (132-127) of Jalen Green (28 points), after a breathtaking end to the match. The Rockets remain 2nd in the West (27-13), the Kings 9th (21-20).
Oklahoma City Thunder – Cleveland Cavaliers : 134-114
Detroit Pistons – Indiana Pacers : 100-111
Washington Wizards – Phoenix Suns : 123-130
Portland Trail Blazrs – Los Angeles Clippers : 89-118
Sacramento Kings – Houston Rockets : 132-127
