Cleveland Cavaliers vs Oklahoma City Thunder Score: Live Updates

On By Littum

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Oklahoma City Thunder and that Cleveland Cavaliers. The two best teams in the NBA. The two hottest teams in the NBA.

And they play Wednesday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) in one of the biggest regular-season games of the past few seasons. No one will be surprised if the Thunder-Cavaliers end up in the Finals series.

Cleveland owns the best record at 31-4 and Oklahoma City has the second best record at 30-5. The Cavaliers are No. 1 offensively and no. 7 defensively, and the Thunder are no. 1 defensively and no. 8 offensively.

Oklahoma City is riding a 15-game winning streak into the contest, and Cleveland has won 10 games in a row.

Both teams are led by dynamic guards: the Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexanderwho finished second in MVP voting last season and averaged 31.3 points, 6.1 assists, 5.6 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.1 blocks and is shooting 52.4% from the field, 36% on 3-pointers and 88.8% on free throws; and the Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchellwho is averaging 23.3 points, 4.6 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.5 steals and is shooting 45.7% from the field, 41.3% on 3s and 81.5% on free throws.

But it’s not one-man teams that you’ll see in this much-anticipated battle.

USA TODAY Sports will provide the latest updates, highlights, wild plays, analysis and more throughout game Thunder-Cavaliers. Follow along.

In a game of teams ranked in the top eight in offense and defense, there has been a solid mix of both so far. Oklahoma City leads 49-48 with 5:04 left in the second quarter, and Thunder forward Jalen Williams, who should be an All-Star this season, has contributed a team-high 11 points along with three rebounds, one assist , a steal and a block. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, one of the league’s top scorers, has 10 points.

Evan Mobley has 10 points, four rebounds and two assists, and Max Strus and Jarrett Allen each have nine points for Cleveland. Cavs star Donovan Mitchell remains scoreless and misses his six shot attempts.

Eight Thunder players played in the first quarter and all eight scored, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s eight points, two assists, two rebounds and one steal as the Thunder held a 32-25 lead after one quarter. Jalen Williams added seven points, three rebounds and a steal for OKC.

Four Cavs players combined for 22 of their points: Max Strus and Jarrett Allen each scored six points, and Dean Wade and Darius Garland each had five points. The Cavs, who have the no. 1 offense and is one of the best passing teams in the NBA, also has nine assists on nine field goals made.

Cavs star Donovan Mitchell was scoreless in the first quarter on 0-for-4 shooting.

One of the best 3-point shooting teams in the NBA, Cleveland made two quick 3s to start the game, but then missed the next four as Oklahoma City took a 12-10 lead with 6:33 left in the first quarter. Thunder forward Jalen Williams has seven points plus three rebounds.

  • Opening tip will be Wednesday, January 8 at 7 p.m. ET.
  • The Cavaliers will host the Thunder from the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland.
  • The match will be broadcast on ESPN.

With the wildfires in Southern California, ESPN’s regular “NBA Countdown” team with Malika Andrews was off the air as the usual studio is in Los Angeles. ESPN’s Kevin Negandhi and Elle Duncan hosted the pregame show in the network’s Bristol, Connecticut, studios.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are favorites to defeat Oklahoma City Thunder during their regular season matchup on Wednesday, according to BetMGM odds.

  • Spread: Cavaliers (-2.5)
  • Money line: Cavalier (-140); Thunder (+115)
  • Above/below: 229.5
  • PG, Darius Garland
  • SG, Donovan Mitchell
  • SF, Dean Wade
  • PF, Evan Mobley
  • C, Jarrett Allen
  • PG, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
  • SG, Cason Wallace
  • SF, Luguentz Dort
  • PF, Jalen Williams
  • C, Isaiah Hartenstein

Thunder center Chet Holmgren is not in the lineup for Wednesday’s game against the Cavaliers and has not played since Nov. 10, when he suffered a fractured right hip bone against Golden State. In 10 games this season, Holmgren averaged 16.4 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.6 blocks, shooting 50.5% from the field and 37.8% on 3-pointers.

Holmgren, the 22-year-old sophomore big man who played at Gonzaga, is expected to return this season, and the Thunder planned to provide an update on his return-to-play protocol this month.

In the game before the injury, he had 29 points on 8-for-14 shooting, five rebounds and three blocks in a win against Houston. The Thunder will welcome him back, but they have excelled in his absence, going 22-3 without him.

Cleveland and Oklahoma City are the only two NBA teams with at least 30 wins, and it is just the second time in NBA history that two teams have 30 wins in their first 35 games. The Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks did it in 1971-72, with the Lakers defeating the Bucks in the Western Conference Finals and winning the title against the New York Knicks.

It is just the third time in NBA history that two teams with a winning percentage of .850 or better have met this late in a season, and it is the first time that two teams from different conferences with a winning percentage of .850 or better have played so late. into a season.

This matchup also marks the first time in the league that a team with a 15-game winning streak will face a team with a 10-game winning streak.

Cavaliers vs. Thunder all-time record

The Cavaliers and Thunder have played each other 123 times in the regular season, with Oklahoma City leading the series 71-52. This includes when the Thunder were known as the Seattle Supersonics from 1970-2008. This is their first meeting this season. The last time they played was on November 8 last season, when the Thunder won at home 128-120. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led OKC with 43 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals. The Thunder were 2-0 against the Cavs last season.

“They’re all 1 in 82, which I always talk about, but this one is cool. They’re the best team in the league. It’s on their home court. They’re playing really well. We’re obviously playing really well. So it’s a unique opportunity to compete against a great team and we are looking forward to it.”

“That’s why you play the game for these big games. It’s fun for the teams involved, but it’s fun for the fans — and it’s great for the NBA. Our guys really look forward to it, but we don’t treat it like It’s a regular season game. We want to see where we are against the best. Both of our games would be great. great, good evaluation of where we are against the elite teams.”

Until Tuesday 7 January

  1. Cleveland Cavaliers 31-4
  2. Boston Celtics 27-10
  3. New York Knicks 24-13
  4. Orlando Magic 22-16
  5. Milwaukee Bucks 18-16
  6. Miami Heat 18-17
  7. Atlanta Hawks 19-18
  8. Indiana Pacers 19-18
  9. Detroit Pistons 18-18
  10. Chicago Bulls 17-19
  11. Philadelphia 76ers 14-20
  12. Brooklyn Nets 13-23
  13. Charlotte Hornets 8-27
  14. Toronto Raptors 8-28
  15. Washington Wizards 6-28

Until Tuesday 7 January

  1. Oklahoma City Thunder 30-5
  2. Houston Rockets 24-12
  3. Memphis Grizzlies 24-13
  4. Denver Nuggets 20-15
  5. Dallas Mavericks 21-16
  6. Los Angeles Lakers 20-16
  7. Los Angeles Clippers 20-16
  8. Minnesota Timberwolves 19-17
  9. San Antonio Spurs 18-18
  10. Golden State Warriors 18-18
  11. Sacramento Kings 18-19
  12. Phoenix Suns 16.-19
  13. Portland Trail Blazers 12-23
  14. Utah Jazz 9-26
  15. New Orleans Pelicans 7-30

The experts at USA TODAY Network offer predictions for the upcoming season, including which team will lift the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.

  • Jeff Zillgitt: Celtics over Thunder
  • Scooby Axson: Celtics over Timberwolves
  • Lorenzo Reyes: Nuggets over Knicks
  • Damichael Cole: Thunder over the Celtics
  • Dustin Dopirak: Celtics over Nuggets
  • Jim Owczarski: Thunder over the Celtics
  • Duane Rankin: Celtics over Timberwolves
  • Heather Tucker: Celtics over Suns

NBA MVP candidates

Who is this year Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the next player to move deep into the NBA MVP conversation? Jeff Zillgitt breaks down the top contenders.