NBA: Cavaliers rebound with win over Thunder
Caris LeVert #3 of the Cleveland Cavaliers looks on during the second half at TD Garden on October 28, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images/AFP
Caris LeVert scored 22 points to lead the host Cleveland Cavaliers to a 110-102 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night.
Cleveland was steady from the jump, leading for all but 55 seconds of the game after a slow start and a disastrous ending sent the Cavs to a loss versus Sacramento on Friday night.
The Cavs still needed to make up for their late-game problem after letting a 17-point, third-quarter lead slip away early in the fourth quarter against the Thunder. Against the Kings, Cleveland was outscored 19-0 in the final 4:50. Against OKC, the Cavs closed with a 21-13 run to put the game away.
The Play:@CarisLeVert | #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/0kfiZ5r0UU
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) December 11, 2022
Evan Mobley scored 12 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, making all five of his shots. He also finished with 12 rebounds. Jarrett Allen also scored 21 points and had 11 rebounds for Cleveland, which won for the fourth time in six games. Darius Garland had 13 points and eight assists.
The Cavs extended their lead to a game-high 17 midway through the third quarter with a quick 11-4 run highlighted by LeVert’s stepback 3-pointer.
Evan Mobley sends the defender flying with the pump-fake, and draws the foul on the dunk!#LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/Du4ngvu6UH
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) December 11, 2022
But the Thunder outscored Cleveland 17-10 over the final six minutes of the quarter to trim their deficit to 10 heading into the fourth.
Then in the fourth, Oklahoma City heated up from beyond the arc.
The Thunder drained four left-corner 3-pointers in the first four minutes of the fourth — two each by Aleksej Pokusevski and Isaiah Joe to tie it with a 17-4 run.
It was the first time the game was tied since the opening minute.
But the Cavs quickly regained control, thanks to Mobley’s 3-pointer and Allen’s dunk.
Cleveland was without Donovan Mitchell for the second consecutive game due to lower right leg soreness.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 23 points on 7-of-13 shooting, his fewest field-goal tries of the season. Josh Giddey had 17 points and 13 rebounds while Pokusevski finished with 16 points and 14 boards.
