Cavaliers Vs Thunder: Thunder 121-113 in Oklahoma City on Feb. 22, 2026
Oklahoma City’s hot shooting pushed the Thunder to a 121-113 victory in a cavaliers vs thunder matchup on Sunday in Oklahoma City; Cleveland (36-22) lost for the first time in eight games. Isaiah Joe scored 22 points and Cason Wallace added 20 points and 10 assists as the short-handed Thunder outgunned the Cavaliers.
Thunder’s long-range barrage set the tone
Oklahoma City opened the game with an early 28-5 lead powered by five 3-pointers, including three by Isaiah Joe. The Thunder finished 21 of 41 from deep (51. 2%), with Joe making six of those 3s, and converted 17 Cleveland turnovers into 31 points. By halftime the Thunder had hit 14 of 22 from beyond the arc (63. 6%), though Cleveland trimmed the margin to 64-55 on a Donovan Mitchell jumper at the buzzer.
Key contributions: Joe, Wallace and Holmgren
Isaiah Joe’s 22 points and Cason Wallace’s 20 points and 10 assists paced Oklahoma City. Chet Holmgren anchored the frontcourt with 17 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks for the Thunder, who improved their record to 44-14. Lu Dort and Kenrich Williams also buried consecutive 3s in the fourth, and Isaiah Hartenstein scored 10 points in the quarter, hitting back-to-back jumpers that pushed the lead to 106-98.
Cavaliers Vs Thunder: Cleveland rallied but ran out of time
Cleveland cut into the deficit several times. Sam Merrill scored eight quick points in the third and Jared Allen’s short jumper gave the Cavaliers a 69-68 lead—their first of the game. Back-to-back 3s by Jared McCain and Joe restored an 82-75 Thunder edge, then Cleveland answered with an 11-3 run and a Jaylon Tyson 3-pointer to tie the score at 86.
Stat lines and on-court struggles for Cleveland
Donovan Mitchell, James Harden and Sam Merrill each finished with 20 points for Cleveland. Mitchell’s full line read 20 points, 5 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 steals and 3 turnovers. Harden totaled 20 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 steal and 5 turnovers. Jared Allen had 11 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 3 turnovers; he went scoreless in the first quarter before finding his groove and collected a game-high 6 offensive rebounds but also missed a free throw attempt noted in postgame grading. Evan Mobley returned in a limited role and finished with 15 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal in 25 minutes. This was only his second game since January 24th, and he was on a minutes restriction while facing what the coverage described as the best defensive frontcourt in the NBA. Jaylon Tyson’s adjustment period and smaller role were cited as affecting his recent performances.
How the fourth quarter closed it
After Cleveland tied the game in the third, Oklahoma City struck with consecutive 3s from Dort, Kenrich Williams and Wallace to build a 102-95 lead. Hartenstein’s late fourth-quarter jumpers provided separation and the Thunder kept the lead the rest of the way, finishing 121-113.
Next steps: the game's date is listed as Feb. 22, 2026, and the matchup took place in Oklahoma City on Sunday; the next confirmed schedule entry for either team is unclear in the provided context.
