OKLAHOMA CITY – Without three of their top four scorers, the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated Donovan Mitchell, James Harden and the Cleveland Cavs – 121-113 – at Paycom Center on Sunday. The defending champions took a 28-5 lead in the opening frame. Without the Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, the starters took advantage of defensive stops and elite shooting as Oklahoma City drained eight of its 21 threes in the first quarter.
In regards to who would guard Mitchell and Harden, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault revealed that the defensive assignment of Lou Dort over Mitchell won a 6–5 vote among his coaching staff. Cason Wallace spent most of the game facing Harden. Mitchell scored 20 points, but it took him nearly 20 attempts (9 of 19) to get there, as he was 0 of 6 from deep.
Harden scored 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting, nine assists and five rebounds. Wallace finished with 20 points with a career-high 10 assists and recorded his first double-double and three steals. Isaiah Joe's 22 points led seven Thunder players into double figures, including Dort (12 points, two steals) and Oklahoma City's entire starting lineup.
The defending champions' strong defense forced 17 Cavs turnovers, which the Thunder converted into 31 points en route to an eight-point victory.
Cason Wallace shows off his signature performance in Thunder's win
Thunder guard Cason Wallace understands the assignment ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Cavs. Before facing one of the league's highest scoring backcourts in Donovan Mitchell and James Harden. And while the Thunder's newest guards in Jared McCann and Nicola Topic have gotten acclimated to their new surroundings, Wallace has helped fill the void left after losing All-Stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Ajay Mitchell and Alex Caruso.
After the game, Wallace spoke to the media On his outlook ahead of the Thunder's matinee matchup against the Cavs.
"I come into the game knowing that I have a high-level opponent that I have to guard against, you know, compete for minutes with him," Wallace said. "First I had to slow him down. Then, offensively, we've got a lot of guys that are good at making plays. So, I can make some plays myself on offense, but those guys help me a lot on that end."
Cason Wallace on the Thunder's offense and OKC's defense against the Cavs' Mitchell and Harden: “Felt like we came in warmed up, had a little bit of momentum at the beginning of the game... I've got to slow it down first.
Then, offensively, we've got a lot of guys who are good at making plays." pic.twitter.com/U65bg0x2bR
-Joshua Peacock (@Joe_Sway) 22 February 2026
The Thunder will travel to face the Raptors on Tuesday.
