Cleveland got exactly what they needed: a miss.

The score was tied at 112 with 43 seconds left, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had just missed a 13-foot pull-up. If the Cavs could grab the rebound, they’d have a chance to take the lead at home.

They never got that chance.

Oklahoma City got the offensive board, and about 11 seconds later, Shai stepped back over Sam Merrill and buried a three. The shot gave him a season-high 43 points and put the Thunder ahead for good in a 117–112 win Monday night at Rocket Arena. Cleveland got one last chance to tie it, but Merrill missed from the corner. Shai grabbed the rebound, and Ajay Mitchell finished things off at the line.

What sticks with me is how many shots Shai had already missed. He was 1-for-7 from the field in the stretch before that game-winner. Then he got the ball back and took an even tougher shot than the one he’d just missed.

Of course he did.

Shai Had to Work for Those 43

Gilgeous-Alexander took 35 shots, tying his career high. He made 14 of them, including four of eight from deep, and went 11-for-12 at the line. He also finished with eight assists and just one turnover in nearly 39 minutes. It’s easy to see the 43 points and assume he spent the whole night getting whatever he wanted. He didn’t. He went 10-for-27 inside the arc. There was plenty of work involved here.

And there was a reason he had to keep going. The Thunder had lost by a combined 45 points in Dallas and Houston, then showed up in Cleveland with six players out, including Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Cason Wallace, and Alex Caruso. That’s a whole lot of offense and defense sitting in street clothes. Some nights, this group is going to ask more of Shai than others. Monday asked for pretty much everything.

Cleveland led 30–26 after one before Oklahoma City took over the second quarter, 33–18. Bennett Stirtz knocked down two threes and Ajay Mitchell kept getting downhill off Isaiah Hartenstein’s screens. The Thunder went into halftime up 59–48. Shai had 17 at the break.

The Cavs scored 36 in the third, hitting threes from all over the floor, then took the lead early in the fourth. Evan Mobley started getting to the rim more often and put Cleveland up three on a cut with 3:21 left. Shai answered with a technical free throw and a turnaround to tie it. A little over a minute later, he found Hartenstein for a floater that put OKC back in front. You can live with the turnaround if you’re Cleveland. The floater hurts more because it came after Jared McCain chased down a missed three and gave Oklahoma City another chance.

Cleveland Had Chances to Put This Away

The Cavs made 18 threes and finished with 31 assists. Donovan Mitchell had 11 of those assists on a night when his own shot never really settled in. Rookie Meleek Thomas started in place of Peyton Watson and tied Mitchell for the team lead with 17 points. For stretches, the ball moved exactly the way you’d want it to.

Then you look and see that Cleveland went 14-for-24 at the line and gave up 15 offensive rebounds in a game they lost by five. That’s a pretty frustrating way to lose.

Kenny Atkinson said afterward:

Giving them second chance after second chance, it kind of demoralizes your defense.

The teams meet again Wednesday in Oklahoma City. The Cavs can take something from the way they fought back into this one. But I’ll be watching what happens the next time they get Shai to miss with a chance to take the lead. They did the hard part once already. Next time, they’ve got to come away with the ball.

All stats courtesy of NBA.com.

Want more NBA coverage? Head to Sports Pass for the latest. And for more stories that keep you informed and entertained, YourLifeBuzz has you covered.