As we approach the midway point of the regular season, three teams in the NBA stand out as real contenders. This isn’t to say all three will find themselves in the conference finals, nor is it to say another squad won’t enter the picture. But as of right now, the Oklahoma City Thunder, Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers appear to be a notch above everyone else.
The Thunder and Cavs faced off Wednesday night, with both combining to win 25 straight games (15 straight for the Thunder, 10 for the Cavs), and the Cavs took care of business, extending their winning streak with a 129-122 victory.
These are matchups that might also drop some crucial breadcrumbs as to who will face each other in June. The Thunder on Sunday night disposed of the Celtics — somewhat convincingly — offering up a delicious subplot for this marquee matchup.
Here are some key takeaways from Wednesday night’s game that could prove important down the line:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, one of the league’s best players and an MVP candidate, once again displayed the combination of his 6-foot-6 frame, patient offense and sublime court vision to constantly probe Cleveland’s defense. He finished with 31 points on 13-of-27 shooting.
The 26-year-old is one of the most potent and fluid two-way stars in the league and almost seems bound to average 30-plus points over the next few years by being fundamentally sound and shooting within the flow of the offense.
That said, when the Thunder go through offensive droughts, Gilgeous-Alexander will occasionally step outside the offense and call his own number on consecutive possessions, which is the role of a superstar after all. Against the Cavs, with the lead constantly changing hands, the All-NBA guard very much decided to take matters into his own hands.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) goes up for a dunk in front of Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) in the first half Wednesday in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson has dialed down the minutes of his starters, with only Donovan Mitchell cracking 31 per game. Atkinson relies on depth, having Caris LeVert, Max Strus, Georges Niang and Ty Jerome play substantial minutes off the bench, while being counted on as legitimate offensive contributors who space the floor.
Strus was a constant outside presence all game, hitting five triples, scoring 17 points and further proving how important his return is for Cleveland’s Finals chances. Strus missed the first 28 games of the season and has now returned to the lineup, where his shooting often acts as the glue between the four Cavs stars.
The Thunder miss Chet Holmgren, full stop. While Isaiah Hartenstein has done an admirable job — which is also expected for someone earning $30 million this season — Holmgren’s presence would have drastically altered the dynamics of Oklahoma City’s interior play as they went up against Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.
This isn’t to say Hartenstein didn’t play well. He did, finishing with 18 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, clogging the paint well defensively, and swinging the ball efficiently. His nimble 7-foot frame and sneaky athleticism remain the biggest defensive assets on the interior for the Thunder. Needless to say, he’s not the same caliber of floor spacer as Holmgren, meaning there’s a wrinkle in the matchup between these two teams we didn’t get to see.
The two teams play again on Jan. 16, and while Holmgren is ramping up his physical activity, it remains to be seen if he’ll available that day. Even if he is, he’d more than likely play in a limited capacity.
Evan Mobley remains the X-factor for Cleveland. When he’s active around the rim, scrapping for rebounds and second-chance points, he’s putting an enormous amount of pressure on opponents. When he’s trying to create too much on the perimeter and over-dribbles, those are possessions that aren’t going through the hands of Mitchell and Darius Garland.
Mobley, who scored 21 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and had seven assists, is having a career season, but his offense is bound to take another leap in coming years. He currently is sharing the offensive load with some heavy hitters, but there are shots that he can hunt over the course of a game that are there for him if he wants them. As a 7-footer with strong ball-handling capabilities, the sky is truly the limit for him. But he has to seek it.
Jalen Williams is the best player in the league no one outside of Thunder fans are really talking about. The 6-5 Swiss army knife plays up to four positions, averages 20.6 points on the season and functions as the secondary creator, which frequently flies under the radar.
Williams, who finished with 25 points and nine assists, got off to a hot start, scoring seven points and grabbing three rebounds in the first five minutes, as he tried setting the tone. His broad, physical frame absorbs contact, which allows him to finish plays through traffic, providing the Thunder with a notable slashing presence to take pressure off Gilgeous-Alexander.
With the Thunder as good as they are, it’s tough to argue against Williams as a real All-Star candidate this season. Some guys might put up more eye-popping numbers, but in terms of influence, Williams has a strong case.
Donovan Mitchell is clearly saving himself for the postseason. His 23.3-point scoring average is modest for his standard, but it’s seemingly by design. Mitchell spent years scoring at ridiculously high rates in Utah, as well as during his first two seasons in Cleveland, only to now scale back and rely more on the abundance of talent on the roster.
That doesn’t mean Mitchell isn’t still as potent of a scorer as before. The Thunder clearly circled him in their game plan, rotating Gilgeous-Alexander and second-year man Cason Wallace on him. He started horribly, going 0 for 6 until getting his first points with 1:53 remaining in the first half. He finished 3 of 16 from the floor for 11 points and will unquestionably look for a better start when these two teams face off again.
Garland played an exquisite game despite a modest line of 18 points and seven assists, continuing to bounce back from an off year last season. The 6-2 lead guard is one of the most efficient scoring guards in the NBA, but what’s notable is how the game has slowed down for him. In the past, he’d often try to force the issue, taking ill-advised shots and making questionable decisions with the ball. But this season under Atkinson, Garland has played the role of point guard beautifully, while also taking full advantage of Cleveland’s speedy offense.
It appears more and more likely that Garland’s optimized role moving forward should always be tailored to a fast-paced offense in which he can set the tone, dictate the pace and take quick shots off the dribble, be that from three or getting to the cup. Garland is playing just 30 minutes per game this season, and it allows the former All-Star to go all-out in the minutes he’s on the floor. For a guy who was in trade rumors last June, this has been a tremendous twist to his storyline. Garland finding new life in Cleveland, under a new head coach, is in large part what’s allowed the Cavs to be as dominant as they’ve been this season.
During the NBA playoffs last year, plenty of media outlets were busy comparing Minnesota shooting guard Anthony Edwards to Michael Jordan, but are we sure Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t the more fitting player with whom to make that comparison?
The sheer amount of moves and counter-moves in Gilgeous-Alexander’s arsenal tends to take one back to Jordan’s advanced footwork and how he operated in the mid-post. The turnaround fadeaways, the midrange pull-ups, the up-and-unders and the relentlessness in attacking the rim, while contorting his body in a variety of ways seem to underline Gilgeous-Alexander as a potentially better example to make in a comparison with Jordan.
Allen remains criminally underrated. The 7-foot center is often billed as a rim-runner, yet it’s his overall post presence that stands out. His keen understanding of timing, when to roll, when to scale back and when to duck into the dunker spot is a major offensive component for Cleveland. The former All-Star had an efficient 15 points, six rebounds and four assists at the half, finishing the game with 25 points, 12 rebounds and six assists and sending the eternal reminder to people tuning in that he’s one of the best two-way centers in the NBA.
Allen is converting almost 70% from the field on the season, and it’s due to the fact that 91.9% of his shots are from within 10 feet of the basket, providing the Cavs with an elite play finishing component that allows Mobley to roam freely offensively.
The Thunder could stand to find more shooting at the trade deadline. The Cavs had some success going into zone, forcing the Thunder to face the reality that while they have solid shooters, they don’t have any major zone busters who can consistently space the floor. This isn’t to say they need a chucker, but if they find a guy who’s constantly ready to shoot off the catch, with no conscience, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.
