Thunder Beat Cavaliers 124-116 as Gilgeous-Alexander Scores 41

The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 124-116 at Paycom Center on Wednesday night, November 4, 2026, behind 41 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Oklahoma City never trailed, and the win completed a two game sweep of Cleveland in three days.

The Thunder set the tone at once. They led 37-20 after the first quarter and 60-44 at halftime. Cleveland won the third quarter 30-28 to cut the lead to 88-74, then scored 42 points in the fourth quarter, but the Cavaliers never got close enough to change the ending.

Gilgeous-Alexander does it again

Gilgeous-Alexander scored 41 points on 11 of 26 shooting, including 5 of 11 from three point range, with eight assists and four rebounds in 35 minutes. Two nights earlier in Cleveland he scored 43 points in a 117-112 win. That is 84 points across two games against the same team in three days.

Ajay Mitchell added 23 points, seven rebounds and four assists for Oklahoma City. Jared McCain gave the bench a lift in the fourth quarter, hitting a three pointer early in the period after missing his previous 18 attempts from long range.

The two games against Cleveland were a study in how much one player can carry. On Monday, Gilgeous-Alexander took 35 shots, a career high, and hit the go ahead three pointer with 32.6 seconds left to finish a comeback win on the road. That night was his seventh straight game with at least 30 points against Cleveland, matching a streak Tracy McGrady held against one opponent. Wednesday's 41 points made it eight straight, and this time he did not need late heroics, because Oklahoma City led for all 48 minutes.

Cleveland had no single answer in either game. Donovan Mitchell scored 17 points with 11 assists on Monday and James Harden added 14, and the Cavaliers put seven players in double figures in the first game. None of it was enough once Gilgeous-Alexander got going, and the rematch in Oklahoma City was less close than the first game.

Winning with three starters out

The sweep came with a short roster. Oklahoma City played without three starters: Chet Holmgren, who is recovering from a right knee injury, Jalen Williams, who had left ankle surgery, and Cason Wallace, who had left shoulder surgery. The Thunder still started the game with a 17 point first quarter and controlled it from the opening tip to the final minute.

The two wins also steadied a team that had a rough week. Before the Cleveland set, the Thunder had lost two straight games to Dallas and Houston by a combined 45 points while the injuries piled up. The win improved Oklahoma City to 6-2. Cleveland fell to 4-4 with its second loss to the Thunder this week. Oklahoma City plays its next game on Friday night at Memphis, which lost at home to Indiana on Wednesday. Cleveland goes home to regroup after a set in which its defense gave up 117 and 124 points to the same opponent.