The Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder just played what might have been the most entertaining game of the young NBA season, and it came down to the kind of final possessions that leave everybody second-guessing the finish.
There were 23 lead changes, the most in any game in 2026-27, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander still found a way to tilt it at the end. After Sam Merrill’s open corner three missed, Oklahoma City closed things out at the foul line and escaped with the win.
For Cleveland, the night was shaped by absences and improvisation. With Jaylon Tyson and Peyton Watson out, the Cavs leaned heavily into three-guard looks, and that pushed Meleek Thomas into his first NBA start.
He didn’t shrink from the moment. Thomas finished with 17 points and five rebounds in a career-high 26 minutes, and he showed off the kind of range that made this a major positive for him despite the result.
There was even a sequence where he nearly buried a three with one shoe on, the sort of fearless play that stood out in a game already packed with swings. He also had the missed layup with about 90 seconds left that would have put Cleveland ahead by one, but the overall impression was still strong. The defense needs work, but the energy was there, especially with Thomas spending stretches on Gilgeous-Alexander down the stretch of his seventh NBA game.
Donovan Mitchell was the engine for Cleveland’s offense, and his passing popped all night. He finished with 11 assists, but the scoring line never quite matched the playmaking.
Mitchell took 17 shots, made six, and settled for jumpers far too often. He got into the paint only once for a floater, and Cleveland never really put enough pressure on Oklahoma City’s defense.
The Cavs also lost the battle on the glass and let the Thunder dictate the tempo. Isaiah Hartenstein was a problem inside, grabbing 14 rebounds in 28 minutes, while Jared McCain added eight off the bench. That lack of physicality kept Cleveland from getting consistent touches for its bigs.
The closing group was a mess, too. Mario Hezonja wasn’t on the floor, Jarrett Allen - who was solid again and finished at plus-11 - was out there less than he probably should have been, and James Harden was playing power forward.
Merrill, Thomas, and Donovan Mitchell were the guards, and while Merrill hit a huge three with a minute left to tie it, the smaller lineup didn’t hold up. SGA answered by drilling the go-ahead triple over Merrill, and that was the shot that decided it.
Allen could have helped neutralize more of Hartenstein late, and the postgame questions figure to land on Kenny Atkinson, especially after his technical foul cost Cleveland. Normally, Peyton Watson would have been the guy to take on the opponent’s best scorer, but his absence changed the whole setup.
The final stretch summed it up in a hurry: Meleek missed a bunny, the Cavs missed five free throws in the fourth, and they picked up two technicals in the period. Down three with 32 seconds left, that was the fallout.
Cleveland gets Oklahoma City again in two days on the road.
In Other News...
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Cleveland has its own lineup question to sort through, with Peyton Watson listed as questionable because of right hamstring soreness. If he cannot go, the Cavs could be forced into a different look on the perimeter, and Mario Hezonja would be in line for a possible first start in a Cleveland uniform. [Read more 🡒]
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Garlands rough start has only sharpened the contrast. The Clippers have had trouble keeping things together when he is on the floor, and the ball security issues have been hard to ignore as his new team tries to build around him. For the Cavaliers, the early returns are encouraging enough to keep the trade looking like a win, even if the full verdict still has plenty of season left to be written. [Read more 🡒]
Cavs May Have Found Their Next Wing Fit Around Mitchell And Mobley
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There is already chatter that Cleveland may not be done looking for another versatile piece on the perimeter, especially one who can complement the group without disrupting what has started to work. With the Cavs still sorting out how best to balance size, shooting and defensive flexibility around their core, any additional move would have to make sense both on the floor and in the bigger roster picture. [Read more 🡒]