SGA Unleashed! Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Fires 35 Shots for 43 Points as Thunder Halt Skid /VIDEO/

Pulse Sports Team 06:31 - 03 November 2026

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander poured in 43 points to carry a depleted Oklahoma City past Cleveland, handing the Cavaliers their first home defeat of the season in a thrilling finish.

Gilgeous-Alexander put up 35 shots—the most by any NBA player through the first two weeks of the season—knocking down 14. He went 11-for-12 from the free-throw line in 38 minutes of action as the shorthanded Thunder bounced back from consecutive 20-plus-point road defeats.

"He put an enormous amount of pressure on their defense, and he had that look in his eye tonight, so we obviously leaned on him heavily on offense," Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said of Gilgeous-Alexander. "That’s not our identity across an 82-game season, but there are nights when you have a player like him and you simply have to let him loose—and he delivered in a big way."

The fourth quarter featured eight ties and eight lead changes before Gilgeous-Alexander buried his fourth three-pointer of the game. Cleveland's Sam Merrill missed a corner three before Mitchell cut the deficit to a single possession by sinking two free throws with 15.4 seconds remaining.

Oklahoma City continues to navigate the absence of three starters sidelined with long-term injuries. Mitchell contributed 20 points, while Isaiah Hartenstein pulled down 14 rebounds. Gilgeous-Alexander also tied his personal scoring high across 17 career games against the Cavaliers.

Rookie Maleck Thomas, making his first career NBA start, paced Cleveland alongside Donovan Mitchell with 17 points each. Mitchell also dished out 11 assists, while Evan Mobley added 16 points. The loss was the Cavaliers' first on their home court in four games this season.

A tightly contested first half saw 15 lead changes and two ties before the Thunder closed the second quarter on a 16-6 run over the final five minutes to take a 59-48 advantage into the break.

Gilgeous-Alexander sank a pair of free throws to extend Oklahoma City's lead to 69-55 with 9:26 left in the third quarter. The Cavaliers fought back by shooting 9-of-17 from beyond the arc in the frame. Cleveland then opened the fourth quarter on an 18-9 surge but couldn't sustain the momentum. The two teams face off again on Wednesday in Oklahoma City.

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