Previewing the Cavs-Thunder Mini Series

This summer, the Thunder were forced to shed some of the names that helped elevate them to powerhouse status the Western Conference. The 2025 NBA Champs, who fell in seven to the upstart Spurs last spring, didn’t make a single addition this offseason, but were compelled to trade Lugentz Dort, Isaiah Joe, and Aaron Wiggins for seven second round draft picks. 

With the change, 3^rd-year man Ajay Mitchell has made the most of his opportunity and comes into Monday’s contest second on the squad in scoring (16.5 PPG) on 51 percent shooting. After coming off the bench through the first three games of the season, the UC-Santa Barbara standout has moved into the starting lineup, rewarding Mark Daigneault with a 30-point explosion in a win over Phoenix right out of the gate. 

The Cavaliers split a pair over the weekend – dropping a close decision on Thursday night in Atlanta, with Donovan Mitchell’s last-second three-point attempt from the corner drawing side-iron and clobbering the Bucks on Saturday. 

Cleveland comes into the home-road showdown without having dropped a home game this year and have won 12 of its last 16 meetings against Western Conference foes. Only the Grizzlies (121.2ppg) have a higher scoring average than the Cavaliers (121.0ppg) so far this year. At home, the Cavs have shot 47 percent from the floor and 40 percent from beyond the arc. They piled up 48 points in the second quarter on Saturday, and now their five highest scoring quarters in franchise history have all come in the last 13 months. 

The Thunder come into this week’s matchups with contemporary history on their side. They took both meetings last year – including a 32-point thrashing on MLK Day right here at Rocket Arena – and have won three straight games in the series, six of the last seven. 

The interconference battle continues on Monday night on the corner of Huron and Ontario and shifts to central Oklahoma on Wednesday. If the Wine & Gold hope to take some momentum into a big weekend at home, reversing their recent fate over the Thunder would be an excellent start. 

If there can be something as a “huge week” this early in an NBA season, you’re looking at one over the next six days. (With a three-game roadie against the Hornets, Knicks and Heat on the other side.) 

On Saturday night in Milwaukee, a city still hungover from the Brewers winning the first MLB title in franchise history, the Cavaliers smushed the young Bucks – setting a road franchise mark with a 48-point second quarter, draining 20 three-pointers, handing out 41 assists, and committing just a dozen turnovers. 

Jarrett Allen notched his second double-double of the season and Evan Mobley stayed red-hot from beyond the arc, going 3-of-5 from deep. The 6^th-year man from Southern Cal – who’s piled up three double-doubles and three 20-point games – is now shooting .577 from three-point range this year, ranking him 6^th in the league, just behind his teammate, rookie Meleek Thomas, who’s tied for 4^th at .583. 

Sure, at 4-2 heading into November's first game, you could say things are going pretty well in CavalierLand. 

But this week features a trifecta of heavyweight foes, beginning with a road-home twofer against the Thunder followed by a weekend back-to-back against LeBron and the Sixers and the World Champion Knicks at Rocket Arena. 

Like the Cavaliers, the Thunder wrapped up the month of October with a 4-2 mark, but the two teams are in distinctly different mindsets coming into Monday’s matchup.

Aside from forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin (still out with a back injury) and now Jaylon Tyson (out with an ankle sprain), the Wine & Gold have started the season at full strength. The Thunder come to town severely banged up. Chet Holmgren is out 8-10 weeks with a patellar tendon tear, Cason Wallace just underwent left shoulder surgery and could miss the remainder of the regular season, Jalen Williams went under the knife last Wednesday to address a fractured left fibula and dislocated ankle. Alex Caruso injured his ankle on Friday night and is expected to miss some time as well.

The injuries have taken their toll, with OKC dropping each of its last two after winning its first four. In a painful Texas two-step, the Thunder were blasted by 24 points on Wednesday night in Dallas and by three touchdowns on Halloween night in Houston. 

Reigning two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is having another spectacular season, despite his 20-point game scoring streak being snapped last month at 141 straight, netting just 17 points in a win over the Nuggets.