The shorthanded Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 121-113 to snap their seven-game winning streak on Sunday night.
Isaiah Joe dropped in 22 points, Cason Wallance had 20 points and 10 assists, while Chet Holgren added 17 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks for the Thunder, who made 21 of 41 from beyond the arc, including six from Joe, and turned 17 turnovers into 31 points.
Oklahoma City played without injured starters Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (abdominal injury) and Jalen Williams (strained right hamstring). and key contributors, Ajay Mitchell (abdominal strain) and Alex Caruso (sprained left ankle).
On the other hand, Donovan Mitchell, James Harden and Sam Merrill each had 20 points for the Cavaliers (36-22), who lost for the first time in eight games.
The Thunder turned to the long ball early, building a 28-5 lead on five 3-pointers, including a shot by Joe, and made 14 of 22 before halftime.
Cleveland had managed to cut the lead to 64-55 on a Mitchell jumper to beat the buzzer.
The Cavaliers got eight quick points from Merril in the third and took a 69-69 lead for the first time in the game on a Jarrett Allen jumper.
Jared McCain and Joe gave the Thunder an 82-75 lead on back-to-back three-pointers, but Cleveland scored 11 of the next 14 points to tie the score at 86.
However, the Thunder made consecutive 3s from Lu Dort, Kenrich Williams and Wallace to build a 102-95 lead in the fourth. Back-to-back jumpers from Isaiah Hartenstein, who had 10 points in the quarter, gave the Thunder a 106-98 lead.
Both teams play on Tuesday: The Cavaliers host the Knicks, while the Thunder visit Toronto.
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