CLEVELAND — — Jarrett Allen scored 25 points, Evan Mobley added 21 and the Cleveland Cavaliers ended Oklahoma City’s 15-game winning streak by beating the Thunder 129-122 on Wednesday night in a marquee meeting between the NBA’s top two teams.
The Cavs extended their winning streak to 11, improved the league’s best record to 32-4 — 11-0 against the West — and moved to 19-1 at home. They did it on an off night for leading scorer Donovan Mitchell, who had just 11 points on 3 of 16 shooting.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points and Jalen Williams had 25 for the Thunder in their first loss since Dec. 1.
While it’s only January and there’s a lot of basketball ahead, the game’s intensity had the all vibes of a Finals matchup in June. There were 30 lead changes and neither team led by more than nine.
The matchup was only the third in history between teams riding double-digit winning streaks. The last time it happened was on Jan. 26, 1995, when Seattle and Utah entered their game each on 10-game winning streaks.
Takeaways
Thunder: Gilgeous-Alexander is the team’s undisputed star, but Oklahoma City has some nice pieces. Center Isaiah Hartenstein finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.
Cavaliers: Cleveland showed its balance, depth and that it can get by when Mitchell isn’t on. Mobley and Allen combined for 22 rebounds and 13 assists.
Key moment
-With Cleveland up 125-122, Mitchell was called for a loose ball foul 1:19. The Cavs challenged and the call was reversed by replay review. Mobley then hit a 10-footer in the lane to put Cleveland up by five.
Key stat
Only four teams have posted a better record through 36 games than Cleveland: Golden State (34-2) in 2015-16, Philadelphia (33-3) in 1966-67, the Los Angeles Lakers (33-3) in 1971-72 and Chicago (33-3) in 1995-96.
Up next
Thunder: Continue four-game trip at New York on Friday.
Cavaliers: Host Toronto on Thursday.
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