Shouldering his way through Sam Merrill, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander low-dribbled his way to his spot. The two-time MVP winner went with the stepback outside jumper. A road crowd that sang defense as a chorus was suddenly silenced by the sound of the ball ripping through the net.
The Oklahoma City Thunder escaped with a 117-112 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Going through the seven stages of grief, the former is finally at the acceptance stage with their current duct-taped group.
Changing up the starting lineup, the Thunder entered this one with rejuvenated energy. After punting a couple of games due to emotional distress, the previous title contender is ready to get back on the horse. They're absolutely obliterated with injuries, but there's no
point in crying over it. The rest of the NBA won't feel sorry for you and spot you a 20-point lead.
The creativity levels were off the charts for Gilgeous-Alexander. You have to rely on that when you're getting absolutely blitzed. This time, though, OKC's role players finally showed up on this road trip. The Thunder were in a 30-26 deficit after the first quarter. Not a bad spot to be at, per se.
Now, the million-dollar question was about to get answered. Sure, you can stay afloat with Gilgeous-Alexander on the floor. But what about his rest periods? In came Isaiah Hartenstein. He was surgical at the top of the key. Surrounded by slashers, he fed easy buckets to his teammates. Most notably, Jared McCain. As he's figuring out his shooting slump.
The Thunder had their best stretch since P.D.C.C. (Post-Dub, Chet, Caso) started. Finally, they looked like a competent NBA team. They had 33 points in the second frame. That included an 18-7 run. It was the first time OKC had cushion in a game since last Sunday's emotional win over the Phoenix Suns.
After Donovan Mitchell's near halfcourt jumper was waved off, the Thunder entered halftime with a 59-48 lead. A great place to be at, all things considered. Cleveland has a history with this group of playing down to its competition level. This was the latest example.
Part of that inconsistency comes with hot stretches, too. The Cavaliers mimicked the Dynasty Warriors to open the second half. They absolutely torched the nets from the outside. That quickly made this a competitive game once again. Meleek Thomas buried outside jumper after outside jumper. Mitchell and James Harden finally turned things up. For the first time in years, both benefited from OKC being without a single high-end point-of-attack defender to hound them all night.
The Thunder scored 31 points in the third quarter, but lost some of their cushion. They had a 90-84 lead. Gilgeous-Alexander went all out with 30 points, but nobody else really joined in on the ride. That made for a disastrous start to the final frame. The second-unit magic went up in smoke. It didn't take long for the Cavaliers to tie things up.
Tyrese Proctor knotted it up at 93 points apiece with an outside jumper. The Thunder had seen enough. Gilgeous-Alexander checked back in with nine-plus minutes to go. An out-of-character decision by OKC, but its uniquely apocalyptic circumstances have forced it to make uncomfortable decisions.
All of the offense went through Gilgeous-Alexander. The Thunder lived and died through his mid-range jumpers. He had 30-plus shot attempts in 30 minutes. Even if it's choppy and ugly, selfish basketball, it's OKC's best bet to keep its head above water for the next two months.
After Evan Mobley darted to the rim for a rolling dunk, the Thunder were in a 108-105 hole with a little over three minutes to go. A couple of possessions later, two below-the-radar OKC heroes rose up. Hartenstein finally banked in his patented push shot that hasn't been there all year. And then Mitchell leaned his way to an elbow jumper.
Merrill tied things up on the other end at 112 points apiece. Gilgeous-Alexander quickly made up for his mistake of leaving him open from the corner. He drilled a left-wing 3-pointer to put OKC ahead 115-112 with 32 seconds left. The Cavaliers couldn't answer on the other end. That was that. The Thunder had 27 points in the final frame to close out a much-needed win.
The Thunder shot 43% from the field and went 12-of-31 (38.7%) from 3. They shot 21-of-23 on free throws. They had 18 assists on 42 baskets. Four Thunder players scored double-digit points.
Gilgeous-Alexander put on his Superman cape with 43 points on 35 shot attempts. Mitchell helped with 20 points and five rebounds. Kenrich Williams stepped up for 12 points and three rebounds. Aday Mara also had 10 points and nine rebounds off the bench.
Meanwhile, the Cavaliers shot 44% from the field and went 18-of-49 (36.7%) from 3. They shot 14-of-24 on free throws. They had 31 assists on 40 baskets. Seven Cavaliers players scored double-digit points.
Mitchell had just 17 points and 11 assists. Harden was also relatively quiet with 14 points and six assists. Mobley tallied 16 points and seven rebounds. Jarrett Allen totaled 14 points and six rebounds. Thomas popped off for 17 points and five rebounds. Mario Hezonja had 12 points and eight rebounds. Proctor scored 10 points.
No more moping around. The Thunder have to move on with their new NBA life. Even if it's completely demoralizing to lose three starters for the long run this early in the year. That starts at the top. Gilgeous-Alexander finally flaired him arms up and said screw it. If OKC is going down, he's going to leave it all on the floor. The formula worked in Cleveland. He'll have video-game-esque stat lines the rest of the way.
Until New Year's, this is what the Thunder have to do. Every win should be treated with extra care and enjoyment. Starting the year as a popular title favorite, OKC's motto right now is JSS — just survive somehow. Each win gives you a little bit more cushion until help arrives. This is a great start to them finally moving on with their current group after feeling down over the past week.
Let's look at Thunder player grades:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A
Visibly annoyed at Hezonja's handsy defense, Gilgeous-Alexander's body language had enough. He pulled his dribble back to the perimeter. Dancing with the ball in a crossover, he went the disrespectful route of going with the pull-up outside jumper he drilled in his. The moxie move was certainly different from his somber Saturday mood.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 43 points on 14-of-35 shooting, eight assists and three rebounds. He shot 4-of-8 from 3 and went 11-of-12 on free throws. He also had two steals and one block.
This is what the Thunder need. At least, for the interim. As ruthless as OKC's recent circumstances are, you can't reasonably pack your bags and call it a year with 75-plus games to go. Gilgeous-Alexander finally understands the mission. He has to leave it all on the floor. Every single night. It's not a sustainable formula for success, but a quick fix that they need for now.
The super-efficient 30-point scorer went against his nature. Usually, he plays within the flow of the offense. That's no longer a luxury. Almost all of OKC's possessions with him on the floor have to end with him taking a shot attempt. That's what happened throughout the night. He was busy at all four levels — inside the paint, at the mid-range, from the outside and at the free-throw line. This was a return to the formula of constantly attacking the paint.
Nobody on the Cavaliers could slow him down. Even with the Hulk-ified version of Hezonja battering into him. Gilgeous-Alexander slithered his way to the rim. He went up for contested jumpers even with several defenders on his face. He even relied on his outside jumper. With 30 points through three quarters, his fourth frame was going to decide this one.
What did Gilgeous-Alexander do? Went all out. He took 13 shot attempts in the fourth quarter alone. 13! Truly, the definition of emptying the clip. Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams encouraged him from a distance. Both All-NBA talents want him to bring out his inner 2005-06 Kobe Bryant — who averaged a legendary 35.4 points on 27 shot attempts per night.
Finally, Gilgeous-Alexander closed this out. He hit a big-time 3-pointer as he tasted blood in the water with Merrill stuck on him on an island. Poetically enough on the same day that the Thunder announced his upcoming jersey retirement, perhaps OKC's best playbook to follow is what it went through in Russell Westbrook's 2016-17 MVP campaign.
Shai finds a way 👀 pic.twitter.com/1z9X5Z8iGr
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 3, 2026
Oooookay Shai 😤 pic.twitter.com/dzeI35yCdm
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 3, 2026
Side step ➡️ Splash ☔️ pic.twitter.com/1nVg1d9azD
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 3, 2026
No words. Just Shai. 🤷 pic.twitter.com/P0IxuJhATT
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 3, 2026
The stepback every time >>> pic.twitter.com/Mi7aP1Iqyu
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 3, 2026
Us after this: 🤯😵💫😮 pic.twitter.com/WQDE1ooVsM
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 3, 2026
😮💨 https://t.co/j3PkA5Kd5J pic.twitter.com/L0XsZ7AuVS
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 3, 2026
Ajay Mitchell: B-plus
Struggling in the second half, Mitchell had perfect timing for his first bucket in the latter part of the game. His signature elbow jumper represented just enough. It helped ensure Gilgeous-Alexander's one-man show didn't go in vain.
Mitchell finished with 20 points on 7-of-16 shooting, five rebounds and one assist. He shot 0-of-3 from 3 and went 6-of-6 on free throws. He also had one block.
Much better from Mitchell this time around. The Thunder are just going to have to live with the fact that he's going to be very up and down. You're asking a Sixth Man to be their second-best scorer. That's a lot. But when things are going right, you can see OKC run a functional offense. Especially when Gilgeous-Alexander is off the floor.
The drive-heavy scorer barreled his way to the rim. Even with Mobley and Allen there. Mitchell has perfected the craft of blue-collar layups. He'll bulldoze his way to the cup and finish through traffic. Another perk of that scoring style? Always getting to the free-throw line. That happened here. He had 16 points in the first half. He's one of the main reasons why OKC even went up by double-digit points.
The second half was a lot quieter, but Mitchell scored a couple of big-time points in the fourth quarter to close this out. On defense, he held his own on Harden. There's no underselling how tough a night that is. Even when you consider the Cleveland superstar's old age. You're putting a lot on his plate on a nightly basis and it's been mostly positive since D.C.C. started.
Heads up, Ajay is pullin' 🆙 pic.twitter.com/B2n9eLc5M0
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 3, 2026
We Hart these dimes 🪙 pic.twitter.com/9TQ8ulzXXd
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 3, 2026
He put on the jets 💨 pic.twitter.com/u2s76XTEkA
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 3, 2026
Isaiah Hartenstein: B
Running the offense like a conductor, Hartenstein had the second unit rolling. The seven-footer completely orchestrated the halfcourt offense in arguably their best stretch of the night. Being tagged with a bunch of slashers helped the Thunder make up for a lack of top-end scoring talent.
Hartenstein finished with five points on 2-of-8 shooting, 14 rebounds and four assists. He shot 1-of-2 on free throws. He also had two steals.
You have to give Hartenstein a lot of credit. This isn't what he signed up for. He left money on the table to contend for a second right. Right now, those plans are put on pause. Instead of mentally checking out, he was the first to vocalize that the Thunder are ready to turn the page. There's still plenty of time to salvage the year. He voiced that with his words and followed up with his actions.
Against Cleveland's All-Star frontcourt duo, Hartenstein held his own. He dominated the glass. His size helped the Thunder run an operational offense. The playmaking was on full display, too. The once-niche part of OKC's offense has graduated to an essential part out of necessity. He even made a clutch-time floater — that shot hasn't been there for him so far this year.
Aside from Gilgeous-Alexander, Hartenstein is the only remaining Opening Night starter still suiting up. Crazy. Goes to show how quickly things can change in the NBA. After experiencing the bad side of that spectrum, they're hoping to spark the good side by discovering a new recipe for wins on the fly.
Kenrich Williams: B
Waiting at the perimeter, Williams knocked down a pair of outside jumpers. If opposing teams are going to sell out on Gilgeous-Alexander's drive to the rim, then the role players have to make them pay. The 31-year-old did that as he helped the Thunder get their offense running from the jump.
Williams finished with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, three rebounds and one assist. He shot 2-of-4 from 3.
Still learning this new group, the Thunder changed things up with their starting lineup. They leaned on size. Jaylin Williams replaced Jared McCain. OKC matched up with the Cavaliers' loaded frontcourt. The plan worked out. A lot of that has to do with the 31-year-old continuing to step up in an unexpected oversized role.
Williams has his hit outside jumpers. He's also slashed to the rim. Every bucket means a little more when it comes from the sans Gilgeous-Alexander group. Man, how lucky are the Thunder that he has an affinity for the organization? His return this past summer went under the radar, but has proven to be incredibly critical with their current health situation.
This is new territory for Williams. The Thunder are going to fully utilize him throughout the regular season. They can't afford to ice his legs. They need the NBA-capable bodies. Especially among the frontcourt room. I'm sure there's a basketball sicko part of his brain enjoying this new role, and to his credit, he's been awesome so far.
Let it fly, KRich 🏹 pic.twitter.com/0FRkAv4KEW
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 3, 2026
Hart sees it all 👀 pic.twitter.com/66hfEHSTHk
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 3, 2026
Highlights:
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Player grades: SGA turns into Superman in Thunder's 117-112 win over Cavaliers
