OKC Thunder player grades: Streak hits 5 in-a-row with loss to Cavs

The OKC Thunder came out strong in their second night of a back to back, against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Great energy and confidence from their young point guard Theo Maledon was a promising sign, but at the end of the day, the win wasn’t meant to be. It was the first time the Cavaliers had beaten the Thunder in five tries and unfortunately extended OKC’s losing streak to five games — the longest this season.

Moreover, it was the fourth time in those five games the Thunder have lost by more than twenty points. Cleveland has struggled to put points on the board this year which is a troubling sign for the Thunder who, up until recently delivered on the defensive side of the court.

Allowing a club that ranks last in points per game (100.8) to score 129 points punctuates the issues OKC had defensively. Part of the reason could be fatigue given it was the second game of a back-to-back set, but again this isn’t a trend the Thunder wants to become a habit.

OKC Thunder second-half slump leads to loss

The OKC Thunder were in phenomenal shooting form to start against the Cavs, shooting 55.6 percent from the floor. Yet at half-time, they trailed 65-61.

Kenrich Williams was an assist machine with five in the first half and the trio of Theo Maledon, Svi Mykhailiuk, and Moses Brown took charge. They combined for 31 points to start the game.

The Cavs led by as many as seven in the first 24 minutes with OKC leading by as many as eight.

But the Thunder let the game getaway in the third as the Cavs’ plethora of scoring options proved difficult for OKC to contain. Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, and Taurean Prince combined for a total of 70 points, and 15 assists.