OKC Thunder: Players grades for beatdown in Cleveland

Best OKC Thunder reserve performance:

There was no better reserve than Hamidou Diallo, although Mike Muscala could make a case for himself.

Diallo and Muscala both had big nights for the Thunder reserves, combining for 28 of the team’s 42 bench points.

But Diallo edges Muscala thanks to a perfect 5-for-5 shooting performance. Diallo added another five points at the free-throw line, where he converted five of his nine attempts to finish with 15 total points.

Elsewhere on the court, he added two rebounds, two assists, one steal, and a block.

Best opponent performance:

Speaking of perfect shooting nights, the Cavaliers had one of their own make the list.

Jarrett Allen finished the game a perfect 11-for-11 for 26 points. The only shots he missed came at the free-throw line, where he made 4-of-7.

While his scoring was impressive, one of the biggest aspects of his game on Sunday was on the glass. Allen finished the game with 17 rebounds, nine of which were offensive rebounds.

In closing:

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The OKC Thunder were locked in on Sunday night.

The Thunder lagged only slightly behind the Cavaliers in points in the paint, falling just six points shy of the Cavaliers 58 but struggled in second-chance points where they finished with just six versus Cleveland’s 14.

The Cavaliers also edged the Thunder in rebounding, 42 to 37. In that area of the game, the Thunder could have help on the way as Moses Brown has been phenomenal on the offensive and defensive glass in G League play. Check out the article link above that dives deeper into the young center and his improbable rise to the NBA.

Everywhere else, the Thunder either held an advantage or played the Cavaliers evenly. The Thunder shot 54.4 percent from the floor and 46.4 percent from deep.

You can view the full box score here.

The Thunder host the Miami Heat on Monday at 9 p.m. EST and 8 p.m. CT.