OKC Thunder: Players grades for beatdown in Cleveland

OKC Thunder starting lineup grades:

Luguentz Dort didn’t have his best game in a Thunder jersey, but he came up big in the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer that pushed the Thunder’s lead even further out of reach for the Cavaliers.

Dort finished with 10 points in the game on 40 percent shooting, and while his shooting didn’t do much in helping the Thunder to victory, it certainly didn’t hurt them.

The same can’t be said about Darius Bazley. The Thunder were fortunate enough not to need to rely on a big game from Bazley, as his performance on Sunday night was anything but impressive.

Bazley had more rebounds than points, finishing with seven and four, respectively. His shot was off as he managed to make just two of his seven attempts.

It’s a game he’ll want to forget about as the Thunder have a quick turnaround with the visiting Heat on Monday.

If there’s one thing to be said about Horford this season, it’s that he has become a crucial piece of the Thunder’s starting lineup. There haven’t been many bad nights for Horford as he continues to revitalize his career with the Thunder.

Horford scored 16 points on 58.3 percent shooting. He added eight rebounds, one assist, and two steals. He was instrumental in the fourth quarter as he put up eight clutch points to keep the Cavaliers from closing the gap.

It’s hard not to watch Maledon and be impressed by the level of growth he’s exhibited since the season kicked off in December. Although the young guard can be careless with the ball, as shown by his five turnovers against the Cavaliers, he shows that he is both a capable scorer and an exciting playmaker.

Maledon finished with 14 points on 71.4 percent shooting. He hit three of his four shots from deep and grabbed two rebounds and dished three assists. Since his return, Maledon is averaging 10 points per game on 48 percent shooting.

Gilgeous-Alexander made his case for an All-Star selection on Sunday.

The third-year guard turned in one of his best games of the season against the Cavaliers, scoring 31 points on 60 percent shooting. He hit all three of his shots from deep and knocked down 10-of-12 free throws. To go along with that, Gilgeous-Alexander also pulled down four rebounds, dealt nine assists, and came up with one steal in the game.

He wasn’t the team’s leading scorer in the fourth quarter, but his work in the previous three quarters put the Thunder in a good position for a win without the need of his late-game heroics.