Thunder's size issues resurface in loss to Cavaliers

The Thunder's issue with physicality and size again reared its ugly head in their 129-122 loss to the Cavaliers. 

While the final rebounding margin of 40-38 doesn't tell the full story, OKC was "big boy'ed" by Cleveland's Jarret Allen and Evan Mobley, especially in the business end of the game. In the fourth quarter, the Cavs scored 14 paint points and outrebounded the Thunder 10-6, including four offensive boards leading to several second-chance points.

The Cavaliers recognized the size mismatch early — especially with 6-foot-5 Jalen Williams starting at power forward — and made a concerted effort to go after the Thunder in the restricted area. That's why their leading scorers, Donovan Mitchell (11 points) and Darius Garland (18 points), were happy to defer to Mobley (21 points) and Allen (25 points), who combined to shoot a staggering 17-of-24 from the field.

The Thunder faced similar issues against the bigger lineups of the Bucks in the recent NBA Cup finals and the Mavericks in last year's playoffs. They acquired seven-footer Isaiah Hartenstein in the offseason, but Chet Holmgren's untimely injury meant they were again left with an undersized frontcourt.

After Wednesday's loss, Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander disputed the notion that his team was overwhelmed by Cleveland's size, much like they were against the Bucks.

"No," he said, via ESPN's Tim Bontemps. "We just lost twice in a month and a half. It sucks that they're the high-profile games, but like I said, we're human out there. Can't be perfect. And losing twice in a month and a half I'll take no matter what stage the games they're on."

Perhaps the issues will dissipate once Hartenstein and Holmgren are on the floor together. However, for now, it's clear that the Thunder's biggest, and possibly only Achilles Heal, is their lack of size.