Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Kenrich Williams kept the Oklahoma City Thunder within striking distance as the Cleveland Cavaliers built an early 30-26 advantage through a frantic opening frame.
Opening Tip and Early Lead Changes
Meleek Thomas secured the game’s opening possession after a tip-off between Isaiah Hartenstein and Jarrett Allen. Evan Mobley broke the scoreless tie immediately for Cleveland with a two-point driving layup off an assist from James Harden, making it 2-0.
Hartenstein answered by drawing a shooting foul from Allen, splitting a pair of free throws to put Oklahoma City on the board. Ajay Mitchell then hit a pull-up jump shot to swing the lead to 3-2 for the Thunder.
Cavaliers Respond with Brisk Pace
Donovan Mitchell pushed Cleveland back ahead 5-3 with a three-point stepback jumper assisted by Mobley. Williams countered with a pull-up jumper to level the score at 5-5.
The pace stayed relentless. Harden converted driving floating jump shots to lift Cleveland to a 9-5 advantage. Gilgeous-Alexander kept Oklahoma City close with a driving floating jump shot of his own, narrowing the gap to 9-7.
Mobley and Williams Spark Early Scoring Runs
Mobley extended the lead to 11-7 with a cutting dunk fed by Donovan Mitchell. Gilgeous-Alexander answered with a finger roll layup, prompting the game’s first 60-second timeout from Cleveland.
Out of the break, Mobley added a driving bank hook shot and Allen contributed a cutting layup to stretch the cushion to 15-11. Oklahoma City mounted a counter-offensive when Williams sank a three-pointer off a Gilgeous-Alexander assist, reclaiming a narrow 16-15 lead with 5:16 remaining in the period.
Late First-Period Surge
Thomas answered with a running layup to put Cleveland back up 17-16, drawing a 60-second timeout from the Thunder bench. Williams struck again from beyond the arc for a 19-17 Oklahoma City edge, only for Donovan Mitchell to counter immediately with a triple.
Lead changes continued as Gilgeous-Alexander drove for a layup and Donovan Mitchell hit a turnaround fadeaway jumper for a 22-21 scoreline. Aday Mara briefly regained the advantage for the Thunder at 23-22 with a dunk off a pass from Jared McCain.
Cleveland closed the period with authority. Allen scored on a cutting dunk, and Tyrese Proctor connected on a pair of three-pointers to widen the gap to 30-25. Gilgeous-Alexander added a late free throw in the closing seconds, leaving Sam Merrill to secure a defensive rebound as the clock ran out with the Cavaliers leading 30-26.
