NBA: Gilgeous-Alexander's 43 points see Oklahoma City edge Cleveland 117-112

Oklahoma City beat Cleveland 117-112 on Monday 2 November 2026 at Rocket Arena, in front of 19,432 spectators, in the main game of the NBA night. For readers in Brazzaville, tip-off was at 1:00 a.m. on 3 November. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander carried the Thunder with 43 points, 8 assists and 11 of 12 from the free-throw line. Cleveland clawed their way back to 94-94 midway through the final quarter but failed to finish the job in a game in which the lead changed hands 19 times.

The result leaves Oklahoma City at 5-2, 6th in the Western Conference. Cleveland drop to 4-3, 5th in the Eastern Conference. The two sides meet again on 5 November at 2:00 a.m. Brazzaville time, this time in Oklahoma City.

The Thunder went into this fixture with six players ruled out on the latest injury report: Cason Wallace, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Thomas Sorber, Nikola Topic and Alex Caruso. In that context, Gilgeous-Alexander's output and the contributions around him carried great weight.

A 33-18 second quarter turns the game

Cleveland had actually started better. The Cavaliers led 15-11 with 6:27 left in the first quarter, then reached their biggest lead of the night at 30-25 with 30.2 seconds to go. The first period ended 30-26 to Cleveland.

The swing came in the second quarter. At 34-33, the Thunder went on an 8-0 run to move ahead 41-34. Cleveland scored just 18 points in those twelve minutes, while Oklahoma City scored 33. At half-time the scoreboard read 59-48 to the Thunder: a lead of eleven points, already more than the final margin.

That stretch shaped the game. Cleveland won three of the four periods, but the hole in the second quarter left the Cavaliers chasing at half-time and again at the end of the third quarter. Oklahoma City, for their part, had built enough of a cushion to withstand the comebacks.

Fourteen points down, two fightbacks

Early in the third quarter, the Thunder stretched their lead to 14 points, at 69-55. Cleveland responded first with an 8-0 run, from 70-79 to 78-79. The Cavaliers then produced another 8-0 run, from 81-90 to 89-90, a spell straddling the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth.

Cleveland won the third period 36-31 and cut the deficit to 84-90 ahead of the final twelve minutes. Then the scores were level again at 94-94 with 8:04 left. From there, Oklahoma City outscored Cleveland 23 to 18. The Cavaliers still won the final quarter, 28-27, but by a single point: not enough to erase the damage done in the second period.

The game's script sums up the night: Cleveland had the resources to come back, but not to move clear for good. Oklahoma City shared the ball less, with 18 assists to the Cavaliers' 31, but took more shots and scored more points from the free-throw line.

Players of the match

For the winners, Gilgeous-Alexander dominated both the play and the scoring. He took 35 shots, made 14, added 4 three-pointers and turned the ball over just once in 39 minutes. His 43 points account for more than a third of Oklahoma City's 117. His 11 of 12 at the line also weighed heavily in a game decided late on.

Ajay Mitchell was the Thunder's second-leading scorer with 20 points, 5 rebounds and a perfect 6 of 6 from the line in 35 minutes. Kenrich Williams added 12 points. Off the bench, Aday Mara contributed 10 points and 9 rebounds in 20 minutes, while Bennett Stirtz scored 9 points in 12 minutes, hitting 3 of 4 from three-point range.

For Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell finished with 17 points and 11 assists in 36 minutes, but made only 6 of 17 shots and converted 1 of 4 free throws. Meleek Thomas also scored 17 points, in 26 minutes. Evan Mobley added 16 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Jarrett Allen posted 14 points and 6 rebounds, with the best plus-minus on his team, +11. James Harden finished with 14 points and 6 assists, but with a plus-minus of -12.

Three takeaways

One player, more than a third of the points. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 43 of the Thunder's 117 points. None of his team-mates topped 20 points: Ajay Mitchell scored 20, Kenrich Williams 12. Oklahoma City won with a clear pecking order on offense.

Rebounds and free throws made the difference. Cleveland scored more from distance, with 18 three-pointers to 12, and moved the ball more. Oklahoma City responded with 54 rebounds to 46 and 21 of 23 from the free-throw line, against 14 of 24 for the Cavaliers. Both teams turned the ball over 8 times.

Cleveland paid for a single quarter. The Cavaliers took the first quarter 30-26, the third 36-31 and the fourth 28-27. They lost the second 33-18. That 15-point swing in one period explains a margin that their three other winning quarters could not make up.

The SNA view

This win reads as one of better management of the margins. Oklahoma City took 98 shots to Cleveland's 90, a gap that goes hand in hand with their advantage of eight rebounds, turnovers being equal. From the line, the Thunder scored seven points more than the Cavaliers, which is more than the final margin. Cleveland nonetheless had several favourable indicators: 31 assists, 18 three-pointers and three quarters won.

The difference therefore lies less in continuous domination than in Oklahoma City's ability to punish the opposition's slump. Gilgeous-Alexander did not need perfect shooting to weigh on the game: he drew fouls, produced 43 points and kept enough influence as a passer. Cleveland, for their part, had enough collective attacking power to come back, but not enough control to turn that comeback into a win. Donovan Mitchell's numbers, 17 points, 11 assists, 6 of 17 from the field and 3 turnovers, illustrate a night that was useful but incomplete for the Cavaliers.