Who’s tired? Thunder sweep two-night Florida doubleheader
MIAMI—Here’s how the last few days have gone for the Oklahoma City Thunder: Lose the NBA Cup final to Milwaukee in Las Vegas on Tuesday, spend time airborne over four different time zones on Wednesday, win in Orlando on Thursday, win in Miami on Friday.
It was, even by NBA standards, a ridiculous schedule.
The Thunder never complained. They just played—and won. They expected nothing less. The Western Conference’s best team is 22-5 (win-loss) after beating the Heat, 104-97, on Friday night and competing a two-game, two-night Florida sweep.
“I’m almost surprised when we don’t answer the bell, no matter how difficult the challenge is,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “These guys have just made a habit of having an uncommon mindset and seeing challenges as opportunities rather than excuses.”
On the other hand, things couldn’t have gotten any more wrong for the champion Bucks after their Cup triumph.
The Cleveland Cavaliers delivered a reality check to newly crowned Milwaukee also on Friday, dominating the Bucks, 124-101, to push their league-best record to 24-4.
Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points and Darius Garland added 16 for the Cavs, who led by as many as 36 points as the Bucks struggled in the absence of injured guard Damian Lillard.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, who led the Bucks to victory in the NBA Cup final against the Thunder on Tuesday, scored 33 points with 14 rebounds and three steals.
Behind only Boston
The Cavaliers, winners of seven of their last eight, improved to 15-1 at home.
“We did it on both ends of the floor,” Mitchell said. “We set the tone, offensively, defensively. Knowing they had a long trip back (we were) trying to get going early, push the pace, and we did it for 48 minutes.”
“We do whatever it takes to win,” Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said.
And now, they’re finally going home. Most teams, if they played in Miami and don’t have the second night of a back-to-back awaiting, stay over after visiting the Heat. Not the Thunder. They just played nine out of their last 11 games in places other than Oklahoma City, and they were more than ready to head back to familiar surroundings Friday night.
“We didn’t want to make any excuse,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We, I like to say, have the best jobs in the world. It sounds crazy but it’s a little bit spoiled. We play basketball two nights in a row and get paid to do so. We have an amazing opportunity. We’re blessed to be in this position.”
They’ve won seven in a row (the NBA Cup final loss doesn’t count) for the second time this season. Gilgeous-Alexander is one of four players averaging more than 30 points per game so far. They’re on pace for more steals than any team in the last 30 years. And they’re doing it all without a single player currently older than 30.
“These guys are monsters competitively,” Daigneault said. “We’ve done a good job. We’ve been on the road nine days … And now we’re excited to get back home.”
