The Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder will host the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT in what Shaquille O’Neal of Inside the NBA called an NBA Finals preview. This highly anticipated matchup, dubbed “The Rematch,” follows last week’s historic showdown that captivated basketball fans around the world.
The two teams last met on Jan. 8, when the Cavaliers defeated the Thunder 129-122 in Cleveland in what was described as “the game of the year” and an “instant classic” in a “Finals-like atmosphere.”
It was the first game in NBA history between a team on a 15-game winning streak (Oklahoma City) and a team on a 10-game winning streak (Cleveland). Additionally, it was the first interconference game between teams that both entered with a winning percentage of .850 or higher.
Below are the key facts to know about The Rematch (statistics and rankings are through Jan. 14):
The Rematch
- 2 – Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the first two Kia NBA Western Conference Player of the Month awards this season and ranks second in the league in scoring at 31.4 points per game – narrowly trailing No. 1 Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks (31.5 ppg).
- 3 – The Thunder have three players who rank in the top six in the NBA in steals per game: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (third; 2.03 spg), Jalen Williams (fifth; 1.77 spg) and Cason Wallace (sixth; 1.71 spg).
- 6 – The Cavaliers have won six consecutive road games, each by double digits, with an average margin of victory of 15.8 points per game. They have an NBA-best 14-3 road record this season.
- 9 –The Thunder have won nine consecutive home games, last losing at Paycom Center on Nov. 17 against the Dallas Mavericks.
- 11 – The Cavaliers have won all 11 of their interconference games this season. A victory in Oklahoma City would make them the sixth team since 1970-71 to start a season 12-0 against the opposite conference.
- 12.8 – The Thunder are on pace for an NBA single-season record for average point differential at 12.8 points per game, surpassing the mark of 12.28 set by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers.
- 19 – In the last 19 regular-season games, Oklahoma City is 18-1 and Cleveland stands at 17-2.
- 20 – Cleveland (34-5) and Oklahoma City (33-6) are among 20 teams in NBA history to start a season 33-6 or better through 39 games.
- 39 – Both teams are enjoying their best-ever starts through the first 39 games of a season.
- 44.1 – The Cavaliers’ starting backcourt of Donovan Mitchell (23.1 ppg) and Darius Garland (21.0 ppg) averages a combined 44.1 points per game.
- 70.4 – Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen ranks second in the NBA in field goal percentage at 70.4%. Teammate Evan Mobley is 10th in this category at 57.7%.
- 102.9 – Oklahoma City has the NBA’s top defensive rating at 102.9.
- 121.3 – Cleveland leads the league in offensive rating at 121.3.
- 1.4B – The two teams have generated 1.4 billion impressions combined across @NBA platforms this season, a +103% year-over-year increase.
Review: Cavaliers vs. Thunder on Jan. 8
- 1 – The Cavaliers reached the 1 trending topic worldwide on X during their victory over the Thunder.
- 30 – There were 30 lead changes in the matchup, the second most in a game this season.
- 19,432 – A sold-out crowd of 19,432 fans attended the game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
- 1.87M – The game averaged 1.87 million viewers on ESPN, a +20% increase vs. the comparable window last year.
