Cavaliers vs. Thunder: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2014 Regular Season
After the first quarter, it appeared the Cleveland Cavaliers would be just fine without LeBron James. Too bad there were three more remaining.
Russell Westbrook scored 26 points and Kevin Durant added 19, as the Oklahoma City Thunder held on late to earn a 103-94 victory over the LeBron-less Cavs.
The margin between the two teams was greater than the final score indicated. Oklahoma City held an 86-66 lead with under 10 minutes remaining and appeared to take its foot off the pedal with a trip to Minnesota looming Friday.
In what might be a significant moral victory for the Cavaliers, they came roaring back. An extended Oklahoma City scoring drought coupled with a team-wide scoring effort allowed Cleveland to close the gap to just four points with two minutes remaining.
Durant, though, would have none of it, as he scored the Thunder's final eight points to avoid what would have been a frustrating collapse against the undermanned Cavs.
James, who has played all season despite a back issue, was ruled out Thursday with left knee soreness. Coach David Blatt indicated there was no incident that caused James to miss his first game since returning to Cleveland, but the team will be careful about reinserting him into the lineup.
"Nothing major," Blatt told ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin. "Again, not a serious problem. We'll monitor it, we'll treat him and we'll see how he's feeling tomorrow."
Without James, the Cavaliers raced out to a 26-18 first-quarter lead and led by as many as 11 points. Kevin Love (18 points, 16 rebounds) started out strong as the offensive fulcrum, and their defense did an excellent job of keeping Durant at bay.
Those good times for the Cavs were short-lived. The second quarter quickly evolved into an all-Oklahoma City affair, which bled into the blowout second half.
The Thunder held Cleveland to 36.5 percent shooting, frustrating the Cavs with their length and aggressiveness. Cleveland made only 14 of 37 shots inside the restricted area and Oklahoma City did a fine job of closing out on three-point attempts, holding the Eastern Conference favorites to 32.1 percent from behind the arc.
Westbrook, who has been lights out since returning to the floor Nov. 28, had eight assists and seven rebounds to go along with his game-high 26 points. He's had at least 21 points, seven assists and five rebounds in six straight games, the longest such streak of his career. It's been a surprisingly easy transition back into the lineup for Westbrook, who has been the leader of the Thunder's four-game winning streak.
"We got a lot of people that have been around this organization for a while, a lot of veterans that know how to play the game," Westbrook told NBA.com's Fran Blinebury. "It's easy to come back and kind of find a rhythm how we're supposed to play. Everybody on this team knows Thunder basketball."
"When Westbrook explodes for a dunk, it's the same feeling as when you hear the "Just Blaaaaaze" drop at the start of a track.
— alex (@steven_lebron) December 12, 2014"
Durant, who is still working under a 30-minute cap, never quite got into a consistent rhythm. He made six of his 14 baskets en route to his 19 points, adding six rebounds and five assists. Before his late-game heroics, Durant's night was a mirror of his lackluster performance in Oklahoma City's win in Philadelphia last Friday.
"He's not going to have 30 points every night," Thunder coach Scott Brooks told reporters last week. "What you see now is a player who hasn't played in six or seven weeks. He's going to continue to improve and the rhythm is going to come back around."
The co-starring roles, particularly as the Thunder extended their lead, went to Anthony Morrow and Reggie Jackson. Morrow scored 11 points off the bench, knocking down three of his five three-point attempts to kick-start Oklahoma City out of a slump. The Thunder began the game 1-of-15 from beyond the arc before finishing 7-of-26.
Jackson scored 13 points and had three assists. The offensive leader with Durant and Westbrook out, Jackson has scored in double figures five out of six games since his return to the bench. Overall, the Thunder reserves scored 39 points compared to 31 for the Cavaliers.
Despite the disappointing second half, it's likely Cleveland be relieved to walk away in one piece.
With less than two minutes remaining in the first half, Irving appeared to suffer a serious knee injury after his knee buckled contesting a Westbrook shot. He was down on the floor for several minutes and appeared to be in significant pain. After being attended to by trainers, Irving was helped to the locker room and most thought his night was done.
Thankfully, the injury proved minor and he was back for the second half. Irving scored 20 points and made six assists, showing few noticeable signs of discomfort. He shot 7-of-21 from the field and had trouble with his jumper, but those issues were there before the injury.
The Cavaliers may also leave having to consider a new starting shooting guard. Matthew Dellavedova, receiving the start in place of James, had 14 points, five rebounds and four assists. His four three-pointers helped stretch the floor, and Dellavedova is arguably Cleveland's best perimeter defender behind its four-time NBA MVP.
With Shawn Marion and Mike Miller struggling, it might behoove Blatt to experiment with keeping Dellavedova in the starting lineup. At the very least, James' absence offered him a chance to turn in an impressive audition.
These moral victories ring largely hollow. But as the Thunder know, sometimes moral victories are the only type you can get when playing without your best player.
Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter
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