National Basketball Association
Oklahoma City 117, Cleveland 101
When: 7:00 PM ET, Sunday, February 21, 2021
Where: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, Ohio
Officials: #28 Mousa Dagher, #45 Brian Forte, #32 Marat Kogut
Attendance: 2720

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points Sunday to lift the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 117-101 win over the host Cleveland Cavaliers.

It was just the second victory in the last eight games for the Thunder and snapped a three-game losing streak, saving them from a second consecutive winless three-game road trip.

Cleveland has now lost 10 consecutive games.

Two nights after Gilgeous-Alexander had one of his toughest shooting games of the season, the Oklahoma City point guard took some time to get going offensively, not taking a shot until nearly six minutes into the game.

After he mainly looked to facilitate for others while on the floor with a group of primarily reserves, Gilgeous-Alexander came alive by sinking 4-of-7 shots en route to 16 first-half points.

He finished 9 of 15 in the game, making all three of his 3-pointers and adding nine assists.

The Thunder's bench played a big role in the win, as Hamidou Diallo scored 15 points and Mike Muscala added 13 as the Thunder's reserves outscored the Cavaliers' 42-9.

As the clock wound down in the second quarter, Isaac Okoro fouled Gilgeous-Alexander as he tried a 3-pointer at the buzzer. He hit all three free throws to put the Thunder up 62-51 at halftime.

Like Gilgeous-Alexander, Muscala also bounced back from a rough game for the Thunder. After missing all six of his 3-point tries Friday, Muscala hit three from beyond the arc.

The Cavaliers led by 10 early but the Thunder closed out the first quarter with a 21-8 run. Cleveland regained the lead briefly in the second but Oklahoma City answered on the next possession and led the rest of the way.

Collin Sexton led Cleveland with 27 points, Jarrett Allen added 26 and 17 rebounds, while Darius Garland scored 21. The rest of the Cavaliers' roster, though, scored just 27 points while shooting 27 percent.

Allen was perfect on 11 field-goal attempts.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Oklahoma City   Cleveland
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 31 Scoring Collin Sexton 27
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 9 Assists Darius Garland 8
Al Horford 8 Rebounds Jarrett Allen 17
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 10 Free Throws Made Darius Garland 5
Kenrich Williams 4 Steals Darius Garland 3
Hamidou Diallo 1 Blocks Jarrett Allen 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Oklahoma City 117 54.4 13-28 18-24 22 37 3 9 15
Cleveland 101 46.4 8-35 15-20 22 42 4 9 18
Upcoming Games
  • Cleveland will play their next game at home against Atlanta. The Cavaliers have a W/L % of .400 after a win and .286 after a loss.
  • Oklahoma City will play their next game at home against Miami. The Thunder have a W/L % of .273 after a win and .474 after a loss.