Thunder vs. Cavaliers: Score, Highlights, Reaction from 2017 Regular Season

It turns out a return home was all the Cleveland Cavaliers needed to right the ship.

LeBron James came up two assists shy of a triple-double, and Kyrie Irving scored 29 points as the Cavaliers earned a dominant 107-91 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.

The win was Cleveland's second straight following a dispiriting three-game losing streak. The Cavs did not trail after a 37-21 second quarter that turned the tide of the game.

Fresh off a 45-point outing in Thursday's win over the Dallas Mavericks, Russell Westbrook turned in perhaps his worst performance of the 2016-17 season. The MVP candidate was limited to 20 points on 7-of-26 shooting and turned the ball over four times. While he added 12 rebounds and 10 assists for his 24th triple-double, the Thunder were outscored by 19 points when Westbrook was on the floor.

Matt Moore of CBS Sports had a pretty hot take:

"

When Oladipo and Westbrook miss a lot, the Thunder are bad. #analysis

— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) January 29, 2017"

Victor Oladipo shot almost as poorly as Westbrook, making six of his 18 attempts on his way to a 17-point afternoon. He helped out as part of a bench-led run to start the fourth quarter but never found a rhythm. There was one ironic moment, though, as Moore pointed out:

"

ABC plays “Closer” with “We ain’t never getting older” as Oladipo scores over Richard Jefferson because, cruel

— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) January 29, 2017"

The Thunder shot 37 percent as a team, including a 6-of-26 performance from beyond the arc. It was a surprisingly stout defensive performance from a Cavaliers team that entered Sunday at something nearing a defensive nadir.

Cavaliers opponents had scored 100 or more points in 12 straight games, seven of which Cleveland lost. Even the offensively challenged Brooklyn Nets knocked down 16 three-pointers in Cleveland's win Friday night. The Cavaliers entered Sunday's contest 18th in defensive efficiency and were giving up 108.8 points per 100 possessions in January, per NBA.com.

Cavaliers general manager David Griffin spoke to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com about the issue Wednesday.

"Lack of identity on the defensive end probably is hard for us to figure out," he said. "That's been disappointing because I think we won last year in large part because we did have a grit and toughness to us on the defensive end that we have not displayed to this point and all those same people are here. I expect more of us on that end and I know they expect more of themselves as well."

Cleveland's renewed defensive focus translated to a few good looks in the open court, and Irving and James did a nice job of working the ball around. The Cavaliers stars combined for 18 of the team's 22 assists, with Irving adding 10 for a double-double. It was the first time all month that Irving has reached double-digit assists; his last 10-assist game was a Dec. 29 win over the Boston Celtics.

Mike Prada of SB Nation complimented Irving while throwing shade Westbrook's way:

James finished with 25 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists. The four-time MVP has quietly been red-hot from the field lately, making at least half of his field-goal attempts in six straight games. He also played fewer than 40 minutes for the second straight game after a three-game stretch in which he played at least 45 per contest.

James was even back to joking around with teammates—specifically clowning DeAndre Liggins for a travel—as ESPN's NBA Twitter feed noted:

Tristan Thompson was also locked in for one of his best games of the season, posting 19 points, 12 rebounds, four steals and four blocks. Thompson, as is often the case, was the Cavaliers' best defender on the floor for most of the game. He also saw an increase in offensive production when Kevin Love left in the second quarter with back spasms.

The All-Star forward's status for Monday's game against the Dallas Mavericks has yet to be determined, though flying overnight to Dallas would not be the best thing for a sore back.

Iman Shumpert, who knocked down five threes on his way to 16 points, rounded out the double-figure scorers for Cleveland.

The Cavaliers' trip to Dallas will be their first in a string of five road games in their next six.

The Thunder will continue their road swing by visiting the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday.

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Postgame Reaction

Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue spoke of the defensive performance:

Thunder coach Billy Donovan was unhappy with the characterization of Westbrook as selfish, per an Associated Press report (via ESPN.com): "He understands he's part of a team and he's always wanted to be part of a team," Donovan said. "He's one of the league leaders in assists. He generates a lot offense for other guys. He gets in there and helps rebound in the frontcourt. He's found that balance."