Cleveland Cavaliers: What jumped out in loss to OKC Thunder

The Cleveland Cavaliers increased their chances in the R.J. Barrett sweepstakes with a 95-86 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Cleveland Cavaliers came out slow and fell behind early. The offense struggled to find any type of rhythm as they fell behind by 16 points. The Cavs didn’t give up and fought back into the game, though. They were able to take a brief two-point lead halfway through the fourth quarter, but they weren’t able to secure the win (which is nothing new).

Collin Sexton got his first NBA start in his career in place of George Hill who was a reported late scratch. Sexton showed flashes of brilliance with the starters, as he was able to score in transition and attack the basket multiple times. He also showed that he is still a rookie and has some work to do, however these are steps in the right direction. Sexton finished with a team-high 15 points on 50.0 percent shooting from the field.

Dennis Schröder made the most of his start in place of the injured Russell Westbrook, as he finished with 28 points and seven rebounds in the win. Paul George added in 18 points, seven rebounds, and two steals.

The Cavs could be even more shorthanded as Cedi Osman left the game early with reported back spasms, per Cavs.com beat writer Joe Gabriele. Cleveland came into the season thin at the wing and power forward and are now missing Kevin Love, Sam Dekker, and possibly Osman.

Here’s what we learned from yet another lesson.