Cavs bounce back to open homestand with win over the Thunder

Cleveland Cavaliers begin homestand with a win

The Cleveland Cavaliers bounce right back into the winning column by opening the three-game homestand with a 94-87 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Cavs responded well in the heels of a difficult loss on the road that had halted their streak of five consecutive wins.

Following a closely contested first half, the Cavaliers threatened to pull away in the third quarter behind the bright young core, erecting a lead that reached as much as 17 at one point. However, a similarly youthful Thunder squad made a last-ditch push in the final period to come to within two possessions, before the home team slammed the door shut with less than a minute remaining.

Darius Garland led Cleveland’s trio of aspiring first-time All-Stars that each finished with a double-double, continuing his own streak with 23 points while dishing out 11 assists. The Tower City frontcourt of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley also showed out, combining for 29 points, 30 rebounds, and three blocked shots in the win.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma City’s own rising star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led all scorers in the match with 29 points, coupled with nine boards and six assists in the loss.

Cavs look to continue holding fort at home

The Cavaliers appear to have benefited from a couple of much-welcomed rest days entering the three-game homestand at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse with fresh legs and renewed vigor.

Poised to make their first postseason appearance in four years, Cleveland holds steady in solo fifth in the East past the halfway mark of the season. After being projected to finish with only about 26 wins this season, they are now up to 28-19, just two games behind the first-placed Brooklyn Nets in a suffocatingly competitive conference.

Reserves Cedi Osman, Lamar Stevens, and Dean Wade will have to continue stepping up as the Cavs will need all hands on deck after losing starting forward Lauri Markkanen to an unfortunate non-contact injury after rolling his right ankle in the first half of the match against the Thunder.

Next up for the Cleveland Cavaliers are the New York Knicks on January 24, and then the defending champions Milwaukee Bucks on the 26th.