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The Cleveland Cavaliers ran into a buzzsaw today as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat them 136-104. Let’s see who won and lost the game.
WINNER – Lu Dort
This is the first time I’ve given ‘winner’ to an opponent this season. That’s not to say there haven’t been great performances from the other teams all season long. There have been. But Lu Dort’s defense on Donovan Mitchell has been impossible to ignore, dating back multiple seasons at this point.
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Dort is built in a lab to defend Mitchell. He’s one of the only backcourt players in the NBA who have a comparable build. Dort is a stocky, quick-twitch athlete who can give Mitchell problems that no other defender in the league has been able to. He can beat Mitchell to his spot, and he’s strong enough to stop Mitchell from simply powering through him.
Mitchell finished this game shooting 5-18. Last season, Mitchell shot 3-16 and 3-15 in his two games against the Thunder. That’s 11-49 (22%) across three games.
Of course, not all of that is because of Dort. OKC’s strength is their defense. But Dort is a huge part of that, and he’s the best Mitchell-stopper in the NBA, if you ask me.
WINNER – Jarrett Allen Blocks
Highlights were few and far between today for the Cavs. But Jarrett Allen took home the two biggest plays of the day.
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It started with what might be the best block of the Cavaliers’ season. Jaylen Williams was barreling towards the rim, ready to throw down a thunderous dunk, before Allen met him at the rim and sent Williams back reeling. I’m not sure if I’ve seen Allen block a shot with this much force before.
His second block was less eventful. It was a simple rotate-and-recover to stop a layup at the rim. But considering how the rest of the game went, these two blocks will be cherished.
LOSER – Lonzo Ball
I’m sorry to say, but we might have seen enough of Lonzo Ball this season. He has struggled to find his rhythym and the Cavs can’t afford to keep waiting for him to figure it out. At the very least, he needs a prolonged stretch on the bench before Kenny Atkinson can turn back to Ball for…
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Publish date : 2026-01-19 23:09:00
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