The Cleveland Cavaliers (34-22) also won their second game after the Trade Deadline at the Oklahoma City Thunder (32-26). After LeBron James first carried three quarters of his team, the new players made the difference in the final 120-112 (BOXSCORE) win.
Steven Adams was the dominant figure at the beginning. The New Zealander quickly grabbed 5 offensive rebounds and was also wanted by Russell Westbrook again and again. On the other side, the brand hot J. R. stopped. Smith, on the other hand, with four turned threesomes. The guests’ second unit also made a good impression with the newcomers, as it did against Boston. Rodney Hood met three threesomes, Larry Nance Jr. brought energy and beat Adams better than Tristan Thompson.
In the second quarter, the cavs drowned every jumpshot, feeling like they were taking a double-digit lead in the meantime. Also in transition the guests had advantages, whereas OKC hardly got into running and had to operate a lot from the half-field. But since Paul George was now better integrated, the Thunder shortened and went into the break with only 5 points behind (57:62).
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The third quarter began with a small shootout between PG-13 and LeBron James, which both scuttled two threesomes at once. The King caught fire now and after a controlled first half he also hit his jump throws from the middle distance. In the first five minutes he poured in OKC 14 points, but OKC was on again because the Cavs left Carmelo Anthony open and Cleveland could not collect any more rebounds (Adams!).
This changed with Nance, who, like Adams, began to collect offensive rebounds. Without Westbrook, OKC could not score and so the hosts slipped the game again. There was no longer any comeback, the defense of the cavs in the final phase was too good and Adams was no longer a factor among the boards. James then made everything clear 50 seconds before the end with a floater.
LeBron with 37 points (7 rebounds, 8 assists) was once again top scorer of the Cavs. Smith turned six threes for 18 points. Jordan Clarkson (14) and Nance Jr. (13,9 Rebounds, 3 Blocks) played important minutes in the final stages and Hood (14) also made another solid game. In the Thunder, Adams (22.17 rebounds, 12 offensively) was the best man with a strong double-double. Westbrook (21,7/19 FG, 12 Assists) had big problems with his litter. Paul George (25) and Anthony (24) met well.
Thunder vs. Cavs: Click here for the BOXSCORE!
Larry Nance Jr. He was the only cavs player who could stand up to Steven Adams and was allowed to play through the fourth quarter completely. Adams didn’t have a shot at it and so the weaknesses of the OKC-Offense could no longer be concealed by the rebounding of the New Zealander. His Pick-n-Roll defence against Westbrook was also surprisingly good. On the other hand, Nance himself snatched 8 offense rebounds and delivered numerous other Hustle Plays that didn’t appear in the boxing score.
Russell Westbrook. Despite a solid double double double, it wasn’t his night. From the middle distance (2/9 FG) nothing went together, which severely restricted the MVP in his game. After a rather poor first half (3/11 FG) he managed to pull more to the basket and also to score points efficiently. Defensively, however, he did not make a good impression against Clarkson in the fourth quarter and left the backup guard too often.
It was an interesting test for the Cavs how they would handle an explosive guard like Westbrook after taking Cleveland apart with 20 assists in the first game. George Hill was allowed to take on Russ and mostly went under the screen, but was always able to catch up with Westbrook. Of course, the fact that the current MVP did not have a touch from the middle distance this time also helped. In the fourth quarter, coach Lue left long Jordan Clarkson on the field, which was defensively a major problem. But since he felt that he hit every throw in the attack, he could justify the coach’s confidence.