Thanks to a really strong performance by Dennis Schröder, the Oklahoma City Thunder (6-4) won their away match against the Cleveland Cavaliers (1-10) 95:86. In the absence of Russell Westbrook, the German takes responsibility and leads OKC to their sixth consecutive victory.
Without Russell Westbrook (ankle injury) it was Dennis Schröder to lead the Thunder and the German did the job brilliantly. With 28 points (plus 7 rebounds), Schröder was the top scorer of the game and put in his best performance of the season. In the end OKC had to tremble after leading comfortably over long stretches of the game.
In the meantime, the Thunder even scored 17 points in a row without the hosts being able to find a suitable answer. So Schröder and Co. were in front with 56:40 in the middle of the third run. But in the final section the Cavaliers came back with a 13:0 run and even took the lead for a short time.
“We understand the NBA. Runs are part of the game. It does not run perfectly in every game,” said Paul George (18 points) after the game. At least OKC didn’t panic, in the final minutes they found their rhythm again and brought the victory into dry cloths. The Thunder have now won the last six games, after the start of the season with four defeats completely in the pants.
Curiously, Schröder did not distribute a single assist, but only suffered two ball losses. “They played smart and always switched. That’s why Paul and I always had to go aggressively to the basket,” the national player explained the missing assists. Westbrook travelled with the team to Cleveland, but will probably miss the next game of the Thunder in Houston.
On the Cavaliers side, rookie Collin Sexton made his debut in the Starting Five as George Hill had to pass due to a shoulder injury. Sexton did a good job offensively and was the best thrower of his team with 15 points. Cleveland had to put up with the next injury, to top it all off. Cedi Osman, who represented Kevin Love (toe injury), already had to leave the court in the first quarter with back problems.