The Oklahoma City Thunder evened out their season series against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday following a 134-114 win. The Thunder’s win was their way of avenging their loss to the Cavs on Jan. 8, where they had a 129-122 loss.
OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took over the game with his 40-point performance. SGA’s high-scoring game was highly efficient as well as he made 65.4% of his shots from the field. Defensive guard Luguentz Dort contributed so much offensively with his 22 points. Dort shot 6-for-9 from beyond the arc.

In the rematch between the top two teams in both leagues, OKC fought against getting swept. Former NBA player Kendrick Perkins made an interesting remark about their performance on Thursday. Perk said SGA and his team took the Cavaliers’ defeat last week personally.
“OKC took that loss last week very personal! Sheesh!” Perkins posted on X (formerly Twitter).
OKC took that loss last week very personal! Sheesh!
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) January 17, 2025
Donovan Mitchell’s subpar shooting performance was one factor that helped the Western Conference club defeat the Cavaliers. Mithcell shot 3-for-15 from the field, including 1-for-4 from beyond the arc, and finished with eight points.
Fans rally behind the Thunder star and call him the MVP after winning against the Cavs

It’s just one of those games where SGA took over for the Thunder to lead the team to a win. What’s interesting is he did it incredibly, shooting 65% from the field. It’s rare to see a point guard achieve such efficiency while having a high-scoring game.
However, that separates the OKC star from the rest of the league. With his dominance against the Cavs, fans have started considering him the recipient of the Most Valuable Player award.
“65%????? I dont we ever seen a pg be this efficient lmao,” a fan commented.
“Yeah this might be the thunder year on some rs,” another fan said.
“Let this be a lesson that SGA could put up bigger numbers if he legit wanted to do so. He usually does what is best for the team,” one fan posted on X.
Let this be a lesson that SGA could put up bigger numbers if he legit wanted to do so. He usually does what is best for the team.
— Josh Ferris (@Joca628) January 17, 2025
“Thunder dominating the Cavs today tells you all you need to know: SGA is the MVP”
“Bro is balling out of control. Definitely MVP consideration!”
“this is the real MVP we’ve been saying it for years”
this is the real MVP we’ve been saying it for years
— Graceful🦈 (@upbilssed) January 17, 2025
“He definitely has a case for MVP. It’s going to be a tight race though.”
“Shai can average 35 a game with more minutes, his skill set can’t be stopped, MVP IMO”
“He’s hungry for that MVP. Kobe type player.”
He's hungry for that MVP. Kobe type player.
— InvestorX (@Investor_x1) January 17, 2025
SGA and OKC will continue their dominant season on Friday against the Dallas Mavericks.

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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen with Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.