On the eve of one of the most anticipated games of the season — tonight’s historic collision between West-leading OKC and East-leading Cleveland (7 ET, ESPN) — Trae Young sank one of the shots of the season.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

Jan. 8, 2025

Hoops World Buzzing: Hear from voices around the NBA on tonight’s Cavs-Thunder game

The Road Here: How the Thunder & Cavs got themselves to this epic matchup

What To Watch For: The players, matchups & stats you need to know ahead of tip off

Wemby vs. Giannis: Two of the most uniquely gifted players in the NBA meet tonight

Tuesday Roundup: Trae from halfcourt, Mavs snap two losing streaks, Ant stays hot

BUT FIRST … ⏰

What makes tonight never before seen?

In over 78 years of NBA basketball, there has never been an NBA game like the one set to unfold tonight in Cleveland (7 ET, ESPN).

No. 1 vs. No. 1: The West-leading Thunder (30-5, 15 straight wins) visiting the East-leading Cavs (31-4, 10 straight wins) is more than a clash of conference leaders.

Never before has an East vs. West game this late into the season had a higher combined win percentage (.871).

Never before has a team on a 15-game win streak and a team on a 10-game win streak met in an NBA game.

Over 66,600 total regular season games in league history, it’s never happened.

Until tonight.

1. NBA WORLD BUZZING AHEAD OF HISTORIC MATCHUP

The chatter started on Sunday afternoon as the Thunder locked down Boston in the 2nd half to overcome a 13-point deficit and win their 15th straight game.

As OKC’s game wrapped, Cleveland’s game in Charlotte tipped off. The Cavs opened the 2nd quarter on a 26-4 run to pull away and cruised to their 10th straight win.

With both win streaks still alive, the matchup the NBA world has been waiting for was set: the 30-5 Thunder vs. the 31-4 Cavs in Cleveland on Wednesday night.

The buzz only picked up speed from there as both teams had two days off to prepare for the game and discuss the historic matchup as the hype kept growing.

Tap into what the voices around the NBA are saying about this first-of-its-kind game.

The buzz lit up social media feeds as well, spreading the word of a must-see matchup.

2. THUNDER AT CAVS: HOW WE GOT HERE

The Thunder and Cavs have not lost a regular-season game in a month-plus – OKC’s last loss came on Dec. 1 at Houston, while Cleveland’s came Dec. 8 in Miami.

• Cleveland: The Cavs are the 8th team in NBA history to start a season 31-4 or better, with four of the previous seven going on to win the NBA Finals
• The Cavs are the 4th team in NBA history to win 10 consecutive games by 10+ points, joining the 2007-08 Rockets, the 2003-04 Nets and the 1946-47 Capitols
• Cleveland is averaging 125.2 ppg, while allowing 108.6 ppg during their 10-game winning streak for a league-best 16.6 point differential during that time
• Oklahoma City: The Thunder have won a franchise record 15 straight games, breaking the OKC-era (12) and the Seattle-era (14) records during this run
• OKC is averaging 116.6 ppg, while only allowing 101.6 ppg during this streak. They have also increased their points off turnovers from a league-leading 23.3 for the entire season to 26.9 during the streak
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (33.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 5.6 apg, 54.9 FG%) joins Steph Curry (2015, MVP), James Harden (2018, MVP) and Michael Jordan (1996, MVP) as the only other guards to average 30+ ppg during a 15-game winning streak

The history of tonight’s matchup goes beyond the win streaks.

• This game marks the third time ever that teams with a combined .850+ win percentage have met this late in the season – and the first time as an East vs. West matchup
• Since East/West Conferences were formed in 1970-71, this is the first time that two teams have matched up with each other while being 10-0 or better against the opposing conference
• Only two teams in NBA history have won 70+ games – the 2015-16 Warriors (73) and 1995-96 Bulls (72). Both the Thunder (70) and Cavs (72) are on pace to reach 70+ wins this season

3. KEY PLAYERS, MATCHUPS & STATS IN THIS CLASH OF TITANS

Along with two scorching hot teams facing off, tonight’s game serves as the ultimate test for these two conference leaders as the regular season nears its midpoint.

Best vs Best: The Cavs’ top-ranked offense is about to meet the Thunder’s top-ranked defense.

• The Cavs own the league’s best offensive rating of 121.3 while scoring 122.5 ppg this season on historic 50.4 FG% and 40.4 3P% shooting splits. No team has ever shot 50/40 splits for a season
• The Thunder own the league’s best defensive rating of 102.7 and have only allowed their opponents to score 122+ points three times this season. OKC also holds opponents to the lowest FG% and 3P% in the NBA this season
• OKC (+12.1) and Cleveland (+11.8) rank first and second in point differential and are on pace to join the 1971-72 Lakers and Bucks as the only teams to finish with a point differential of plus-11 or better in the same season

All-Star Guards Lead The Way: Both the Thunder and Cavs are led by guards with multiple All-Star appearances – OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell.

• SGA (31.3 ppg, 6.1 apg, 52.4 FG%) is averaging 30+ ppg and 5+ apg on 50%+ shooting for the third consecutive year, looking to join Giannis (3) and Jordan (5) as the only players in NBA history with three such seasons
• Mitchell (23.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 4.6 apg, 3.8 3pg) is as consistent as they come, averaging 20+ ppg for the eighth consecutive season to start his career
• Of all players to enter the NBA since 2000, Mitchell would be the fifth to average 20+ in each of the first eight seasons of his career, joining LeBron James (22), Kevin Durant (17), Carmelo Anthony (14) and Joel Embiid (9)

Don’t Forget The Supporting Casts: It takes contributions from up and down the roster to win night in and night out like these two teams have all season long.

• Cavs Balance: There have been five games this season where the Cavs have had four different players score 20+ points, the most in the NBA and one shy of the highest total in a season since 2000-01
• The Newcomer: OKC added Isaiah Hartenstein this offseason and since entering the lineup on Nov. 20, after missing the first month of the season with a broken hand, the Thunder have gone 18-1
• Mobley’s Breakout: Fourth-year center Evan Mobley is averaging a career-best 18.8 ppg and is one of 15 players this season to contest 200+ shots at the rim. Of that group, his 56.5% allowed is the seventh-best mark
• All-Star J-Dub? Jalen Williams had his breakout season in 2023-24 and has continued to elevate his game, averaging career bests in points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and 3s

Points Off Turnovers & Rim Protection: Both teams excel at capitalizing on their opponents’ mistakes and taking away easy shots at the basket.

• The Thunder (23.3 ppg) and Cavs (20.4 ppg) rank first and second in points off turnovers, with OKC owning the highest average since the NBA began tracking this statistic in 1997-98
• The Thunder (58.9%) and Cavs (60.8%) hold the two lowest opponent FG% on shots contested at the rim this season

4. GIANNIS vs. WEMBY CAPS OFF ESPN DOUBLEHEADER

One is nicknamed the Greek Freak. The other has adopted The Alien.

Both represent a being that is part of the extraordinary – which accurately describes both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Victor Wembanyama.

Two players that routinely force fans to do double takes to see how exactly they pulled off their latest feat of amazing athleticism.

Before Giannis and Wemby meet tonight (9:30 ET, ESPN) for only the second time ever, here are a few examples of them showing off their unique skillsets.

Giannis with the block on defense, then sprints out on the fast break, uses two dribbles and two massive strides to get to the hoop for an and-1 and caps it off with a flex.

Wemby catches the pass in transition and gets from the 3-point line to the rim for an effortless layup without a single dribble.

Good luck stopping the 6-foot-11, 243-pound locomotive named Giannis charging to the hoop only to see him gracefully break out a Eurostep for the finish.

How many 7-foot-3 players are nimble enough on their size 20+ feet to pull off this spin, pivot and hook shot in the lane against a double team?

In addition to the ESPN doubleheader, tonight features six games on NBA League Pass, including the Pistons going for their first five-game win streak since 2019 when they visit the Nets in Brooklyn (7:30 ET).

5. TRAE’S HALFCOURT GAME-WINNER, MAVS SNAP STREAK, ANT KEEPS COOKIN’

Hawks 124, Jazz 121: In addition to splashing the game-winning buzzer-beater from 49 feet, Trae Young (24 pts, 20 ast) also had his third 20/20 game of the season – tied for the second most 20/20 games in a season behind Isiah Thomas’ five in 1984-85. | Recap

Rockets 135, Wizards 112: Jalen Green had 22 points and six 3s in the 3rd quarter as the Rockets pulled away. Green finished with a game-high 29, while Alperen Sengun (26 pts, 10 ast), Amen Thompson (20 pts, 15 reb) and Fred VanVleet (19 pts, 12 ast) added double-doubles. | Recap

Hornets 115, Suns 104: LaMelo Ball stuffed the stat sheet (32 pts, 10 reb, 7 ast, 4 stl, 5 3pm) – a statline only James Harden, Luka Dončić, Nikola Vučević and DeMarcus Cousins have reached in NBA history – as the Hornets defeated the Suns to snap a 10-game losing streak. | Recap

Timberwolves 104, Pelicans 97: The return of Zion Williamson was not enough to cool off Anthony Edwards (32 pts, 7 3pm), who has 122 points and 23 triples in his last three games. Zion scored 22 points – two coming on the 360 windmill dunk below – in his first game in two months. | Recap

Celtics 118, Nuggets 106: Playing without Nikola Jokić (illness), the Nuggets tied the game at 93-93 with 8:32 to play before the Celtics closed the game on a 25-13 run to secure their fourth win in the last five games. Jayson Tatum (29 pts, 6 ast) and Kristaps Porziņģis (25 pts, 11 reb) combined for 54 points in the win. | Recap

Mavs 118, Lakers 97: Despite missing three starters, the Mavs defeated the Lakers behind a combined 45 points from Quentin Grimes and PJ Washington. Dallas snapped its five-game losing streak overall and a 10-game losing streak when playing without Luka and Kyrie. LeBron dropped two of his 18 points in the loss on the lefty windmill dunk below. | Recap

Heat 114, Warriors 98: Less than 24 hours removed from a disappointing 2OT loss in Sacramento, the Heat closed strong in the Bay, outscoring the Warriors 30-20 in the 4th with Nikola Jović scoring 11 of his 20 points in the last frame. Steph Curry had 31 points and eight 3s in the loss. | Recap