A total of 30 lead changes, and yet no team managed to come up with a double digit lead as the no. 1 offense in the league collided with the no. 1 defense in the season. So far, the Cavs-Thunder clash did not disappoint, and fans will be looking forward to see more intense performances when the two teams battle it out next week in OKC.

The Cavaliers and the Thunder scored a total of 84 combined points in the third, and it set up a spectacle in the fourth where both teams went back and forth trying to outwit one another. In the end, the Cavaliers outlasted the Thunder with key rebounding and massive possessions from their bigs – along with some Ty Jerome magic for a 129-122 win.

In the end, one has to give. The Thunder were undefeated in the East, the Cavaliers were undefeated in the West. Cleveland was riding on a 10-game winning streak, and OKC was on a roll with 15 wins in a row. The real winner? The fans of the NBA who have seen an NBA Finals-esque matchup in January.

Game of the Year?

There are many talks as to how this may turn out to be the best game of the season so far. Both teams have managed to win key games, but their clash proved to be a battle to remember. Jarrett Allen led the way for the Cavaliers with 25 points, 12 rebounds and six assists on 9-11 shooting from the field. Evan Mobley made his presence felt with 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists on 8-13 shooting.

The Cleveland Bigs hounded the floor tonight, taking advantage of a Chet Holmgren-less Thunder – leaving Isaiah Hartenstein, who still finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in the loss – to defend the post for most of the game. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dropped 31 points, five rebounds and four assists, while Jalen Williams had a standout game of 25 points, nine assists, and five rebounds for the Thunder.

Cleveland had seven players in double figures, and that did not include Donovan Mitchell, who shot 3-16 from the field and finished with just 11 points but had a timely three to extend the lead to 121-114 with 4:32 to play. The standout player of the game has to be Ty Jerome, who arguably had a revenge game as he played a huge role in helping Cleveland gain momentum in the fourth, finishing with 15 points on 6-7 shooting from the field.

A Tale of Two Streaks

The Thunder entered the game having won its 15th game in a row with a comeback victory over the Boston Celtics, which was their fourth comeback win in four straight games at home. The Cavaliers, on the other hand, won their last 10 games with a scoring margin of at least 13 points. One had to give, and it proved to be Cleveland’s day so far.

This marks the second-best home start in 20 games for the Cavaliers, now standing at 19-1. Cleveland had its best start at home in 2008-09 led by LeBron James, which stood at 20-0. So far, there are a lot of expectations for both the Cavaliers and the Thunder this season, and some analysts are even seeing this as the NBA Finals matchup to look out for.

That, however, will have to wait as the season rages on with a lot of games left to play. These two teams will collide once more this January 16th, where the Thunder now host the Cavaliers for a shot at redemption.