Thunder Rally: Gilgeous-Alexander silences Cavs with late three
The All-Star scored a season-high 43 points to lead Oklahoma City past Cleveland 117-112 in a back-and-forth contest.
By Madison Lewis ·
The Oklahoma City Thunder dropped two straight road games by double-digit margins before finding their footing on Monday night. They defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 117-112 in the opening leg of a two-game set at the United Center.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander anchored the offense with a season-high 43 points. He attempted 35 shots, the most in the league during the first two weeks of the season, and converted 14 of them. The guard also finished 11 of 12 from the free-throw line in 38 minutes of play.
The fourth quarter featured eight ties and eight lead changes. Gilgeous-Alexander broke the deadlock with his fourth three-pointer from deep with 32.6 seconds remaining. Sam Merrill missed a corner shot for Cleveland, allowing Ajay Mitchell to seal the result with two free throws at the 15.4-second mark.
The injury-stricken Thunder relied on depth to manage the deficit. Ajay Mitchell scored 20 points, while Isaiah Hartenstein secured 14 rebounds. The team had trailed by 20 points in both previous road losses.
Cleveland opened the fourth quarter on an 18-9 run but could not maintain the pressure. Rookie Meleek Thomas made his first NBA start, scoring 17 points. Donovan Mitchell added 17 points and 11 assists, while Evan Mobley contributed 16 points.
The Cavaliers have now lost their first home game of the season in four attempts. The Thunder built a 59-48 halftime lead after a 16-6 run in the final minutes of the second half.
