13 Stats to explain the Cavs 121-113 loss to the Thunder

Turnovers, an early deficit, and hot outside shooting from the Oklahoma City Thunder did the Cleveland Cavaliers in on Sunday afternoon. They lost their first game in February 121-113.

The stats in the table below are taken from Cleaning the Glass.

Now, let’s dive into the numbers.

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• The Cavs coughed it up on 37% of their possessions in the first quarter (0th percentile), leading to 17 points off turnovers. This resulted in Cleveland being down by 23 midway through the first quarter and 15 at the end of one. You can’t come out of the gates that poorly against the defending champions and expect to win on the road, regardless of who’s in the lineup.

• Cleveland turned it over just seven more times in the last three quarters, but still gave up 31 points off turnovers overall. The Cavs’ giveaways were costly. This is a Thunder team that has struggled to score in the half-court without their two best offensive players. That isn’t much of an issue if you’re able to generate that many points off turnovers.

• Donovan Mitchell and James Harden combined for eight turnovers. There’s context behind why they turned it over this much — mainly the minutes with the starting lineup were bad — but they simply needed to be better. It’s difficult to win games if your two best offensive players aren’t protecting the ball like they need to.

• Oklahoma City outscored Cleveland by 24 points from beyond the arc. The Thunder went a scorching 21-41 (51.2%, 96th percentile) from three. Meanwhile, the Cavs couldn’t get their outside shots to fall as they went 13-39 (33.3%, 35th percentile).

• The Thunder hit as many two-point shots as they did from three, 21, and did so on a worse percentage, 46.7%.

• Oklahoma City tied its third-best three-point percentage in a game and tied their fourth-most threes in a game this season. This was an exceptionally good shooting day from a team that has struggled from beyond the arc when they’re without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jaylin Williams, and Alex Caruso. On the season, OKC had shot just 34% (19th percentile) without all three on the court before Sunday.

• Sam Merrill was the exception to the Cavs’ poor shooting, going 6-10 from three. He carried Cleveland’s lifeless offense for stretches. The Cavs played their best basketball of the day when he was on the court, as he led the team in plus/minus, being a +6.

• Cavaliers outside of Merrill went just 7-29 from three (24.1%). It’s a make-or-miss league. The Cavs weren’t making their shots, this included Mitchell, who went 0-6 from beyond the arc.

• The Cavs outscored the Thunder 56-40 in the paint. Cleveland finished 72.2% of their looks at the rim (65th percentile) and 52% of their attempts in the short midrange (75th percentile). Harden and Mitchell were a big reason why, as they went 13-17 (76.5%) inside the paint. Their ability to score inside kept them in the game.

• Cleveland’s bench scored 47 points. Merrill (20 points) and Dennis Schroder (11 points) contributed to the Cavs’ reserves outscoring the Thunder’s 47-37.

• Jarrett Allen took just one shot in the first quarter. The Cavs have talked a lot about why it’s important to get Allen involved early. They weren’t able to do so as he registered no first-quarter points.

• The starting front court didn’t score until four and a half minutes into the second quarter. The Thunder’s two-big configuration of Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein outplayed Evan Mobley and Allen. OKC’s starting duo combined for 30 points, 22 rebounds, and three blocks in 60 combined minutes. Cleveland’s duo had 26 points, 15 rebounds, and no blocks in their 54 minutes. The Cavs lost this matchup.

• Going along with that, the Thunder outscored the Cavs 17-8 in second-chance points. The Thunder grabbed only one more offensive rebound. They made the absolute most of their opportunities, as they did with their points off turnovers.