Without its two top options in the front court, the Thunder committed to the small-ball vision, and Cleveland had no answer whatsoever. The Thunder overpowered the Cavs with energetic defense and elite shotmaking all over the floor.

That decision forced the Thunder to stick close to the Mavericks' role players throughout the first quarter. Once Washington scored the first five points, Irving asserted himself and drained a 3-pointer before finishing at the basket with a finger roll to give the Mavericks an early 10-0 lead.

In a matchup of depleted rosters, the Oklahoma City Thunder suffered a 106-98 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday. The Thunder were without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein. Meanwhile, the Mavericks were without Luka Doncic and Dereck Lively II. It became a contest of Jalen Williams, Kyrie Irving and role players.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 40 points and eight assists in three quarters, and the Oklahoma City Thunder rolled past the Cleveland Cavaliers 134-114 in a matchup of teams with the best records in the NBA.

The Oklahoma City Thunder fell behind by 20 points at halftime, then started the second half on a 26-to-6 run to get back in it, before losing at Dallas 106-98 on Friday night at the American Airlines Center.

Get real-time NBA basketball coverage and scores as Oklahoma City Thunder takes on Dallas Mavericks. We bring you the latest game previews, live stats, and recaps on CBSSports.com

The Cavaliers arrived in Oklahoma City on Thursday boasting the best record in the NBA, but by the time the final buzzer sounded, they looked nothing like the juggernaut that had captured the league’s attention.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander produced a dazzling performance as the Oklahoma City Thunder avenged last week 39;s defeat by the Cleveland Cavaliers with a crushing victory .

The league-leading Cleveland Cavaliers and west-leading Oklahoma City Thunder clash once again in primetime. Find out how to watch for free.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points and registered eight assists in three quarters as the Oklahoma City Thunder rolled over the Cleveland Cavaliers 134-114 in a matchup of teams with the best records.

America has now gotten all the Cleveland Cavaliers-Oklahoma City Thunder basketball we will be allowed before June, which is both not enough and more than enough to say with some confidence that these are the two most compelling teams in the National Basketball Thing by a healthy margin.