Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Scores 43 and Hits the Go-Ahead 3 as the Shorthanded Thunder Beat the Cavaliers

By The Arena Staff

CLEVELAND, Nov. 2, 2026 — The Thunder are missing three starters, and they had just lost two straight road games by 20 points or more. On Monday night, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander decided the math would have to run through him.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored a season-high 43 points and buried a go-ahead 3-pointer with 32.6 seconds left, and Oklahoma City held on to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 117-112 in the first of two meetings this week.

He did it the hard way. Gilgeous-Alexander took 35 shots, the most by any player in the NBA through the first two weeks of the season, according to the Associated Press, and made 14 of them. He was 11 of 12 at the free-throw line, made four 3-pointers and added eight assists in 38 minutes. He had topped 30 points only twice in his first six games, NBC Sports noted.

Oklahoma City led 69-55 midway through the third quarter before Cleveland came storming back, making 9 of 17 from 3-point range in the period and opening the fourth on an 18-9 run. The fourth quarter went on to see eight ties and eight lead changes before Gilgeous-Alexander pulled up for his fourth 3 of the night. Sam Merrill missed from the corner on the other end, and Ajay Mitchell made two free throws with 15.4 seconds to play to put it out of reach.

Mitchell finished with 20 points and Isaiah Hartenstein grabbed 14 rebounds for Oklahoma City (5-2), which has been scrambling to fill minutes since three starters went down with long-term injuries.

Rookie Meleek Thomas, in his first NBA start, and Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 17 points apiece, and Mitchell added 11 assists. Evan Mobley scored 16. It was the Cavaliers' first home loss in four games this season, and they fell to 4-3.

There is no time to dwell on it. The same two teams meet again Wednesday in Oklahoma City.

Sources: AP via ESPN and NBC Sports.