Thunderous Intentions
Fansided

OKC Thunder make it 5 in a row with defeat of Cavaliers – grades

By Tamberlyn Richardson

JANUARY 4: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 and Steven Adams #12 of OKC Thunder high five each other during a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers (Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images)
JANUARY 4: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 and Steven Adams #12 of OKC Thunder high five each other during a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers (Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 4
Next
OKC Thunder
JANUARY 04: Danilo Gallinari #8 talks with head coach Billy Donovan of the OKC Thunder during the second half (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

The OKC Thunder extend their win streak to five with an easy victory over Cleveland Cavaliers. Player grades offer insight into the game.

The OKC Thunder continues to improve this season and check off boxes as they grow. Winning on the road – check. Improving first and third quarter efforts — check, check. Beating teams they should — check.

Thus is the case for this iteration of the Thunder who including tonight’s effort extend their win streak to five in a row. With each win, OKC is padding their lead over the chase pack who keeps switching places on the bottom rung. By virtue of the Spurs’ loss to the Bucks, they were knocked off the ladder by the Blazers.  That gives OKC a 5.5 game lead over both Portland and San Antonio.

149. 106. 156. Final. 121

Entering the match the Cavaliers were hoping to avoid losing a third straight game all while dealing with off court drama that included star Kevin Love getting into it with General Manager Koby Altman. Love called the first unit selfish in the way they were playing in Toronto when the Raptors like the Thunder easily dispensed of the Cavaliers. For those interested in the full story, Shams Charania covered it in the paid-for subscription Athletic.

While the Cavaliers brought effort early the Thunder took the first frame 34-27 which was a key area the team is looking to improve upon. They added to their advantage with a 32-26 second quarter and although the Thunder lost the third quarter by a single point the game was never truly in question after OKC grabbed the initial lead in the first.

Watching the Cavaliers it’s clear they aren’t fully jiving and there is discord on and off the hardwood. It’s clearly tough for Love who believed the team would remain competitive based on what Altman told him when he re-signed. Instead the Cavaliers are in full-on rebuild mode and the forward’s contract, considering his injury history, may be too rich to simply jettison him to a winning club given the contracts which would have to come back to Cleveland in order to offset the economics of balancing contracts.

In comparison, Chris Paul who may have thought he’d be in a similar situation is joyfully feasting with his Thunder teammates as they continue the current hot roll they are on.

.With that, let’s dive into the specifics with the player grades for the match.

Home/Thunder News