CLEVELAND – Jarrett Allen scored 25 points and Evan Mobley added 21 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers ended Oklahoma City's 15-game winning streak by defeating the Thunder 129-122 on Wednesday evening in a major meeting between the top two teams in the NBA.
The Cavaliers, who host the Raptors on Friday night, extended their winning streak to 11, improved their league-best record to 32-4 — 11-0 against the West — and moved to 19-1 at home.
They did so on a bad night for leading scorer Donovan Mitchell, who scored just 11 points on 3-of-16 shooting.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points and Jalen Williams had 25 for the Thunder (30-6), who will face the Knicks on Friday night at the Garden.
This is Oklahoma City's first loss since December 1.
Even though it's only January and we have a lot of basketball ahead of us, the intensity of the game was similar to a finals game in June.
There were 30 lead changes and no team led by more than nine.
The game was only the third in history between teams with double-digit winning streaks.
The last time that happened was Jan. 26, 1995, when Seattle and Utah entered the game on a 10-game winning streak.
Ready meals
thunder: Gilgeous-Alexander is the team's undisputed star, but Oklahoma City has some great pieces.
Center Isaiah Hartenstein, a former Knick, finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.
Cavaliers: Cleveland has shown its balance, depth, and ability to be resilient when Mitchell isn't around.
Mobley and Allen combined for 22 rebounds and 13 assists. Darius Garland had 18 points, seven assists and hit a floater to put OKC away.
Key moment
With Cleveland leading 125-122, Mitchell was called for a loose ball foul with 1:19 left in the game.
The Cavs were challenged and the call was reversed via replay review. Mobley then hit a 10-footer into the lane to put Cleveland up by five.
Key statistics
Only four teams have posted a better record over 36 games than Cleveland: Golden State (34-2) in 2015-16, Philadelphia (33-3) in 1966-67, Los Angeles Lakers (33-3) in 1971-72 and Chicago ( 33-3) in 1995-1996.
