The short-handed Oklahoma City Thunder leaned on their perimeter shooting Sunday night, knocking down 21 3-pointers to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 121-113.
Isaiah Joe led the way with 22 points, hitting six 3-pointers, while Cason Wallace added 20 points and 10 assists. Chet Holmgren contributed 17 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks as Oklahoma City (44-14) shot 51.2% from beyond the arc and turned 17 Cleveland turnovers into 31 points.
The Thunder were without injured starters Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (abdominal strain) and Jalen Williams (strained right hamstring), as well as key contributors Ajay Mitchell and Alex Caruso.
Oklahoma City came out firing, racing to a 28-5 lead behind five early 3-pointers, three from Joe. The Thunder went 14 of 22 from deep in the first half and led 64-55 at the break.
Cleveland (36-22) clawed back in the third quarter. Sam Merrill scored eight quick points, and Jared Allen gave the Cavaliers their first lead at 69-68. Donovan Mitchell, Merrill and James Harden each finished with 20 points as Cleveland saw its eight-game winning streak snapped.
After the Cavaliers tied it at 86 on a 3-pointer by Jaylon Tyson, the Thunder responded in the fourth. Consecutive 3-pointers from Lu Dort, Kenrich Williams and Wallace sparked a decisive run, and back-to-back jumpers by Isaiah Hartenstein pushed the lead to 106-98. Oklahoma City never trailed again.
Up next:
The Cavaliers host New York on Tuesday, while the Thunder visit Toronto.