Written by Jesse Lamovsky

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The longest losing streak in seven years got one game longer on Sunday night- and it was never even close. Taking control of the game with a blistering first-quarter run, the Oklahoma City Thunder jumped out to a big early lead and built on it from there, coasting to a 106-77 win over the beleaguered Cavaliers. Cleveland has now lost eight in a row, its longest losing streak since early in LeBron James’s rookie season of 2003-04. When the Cavaliers will win another game is anyone’s guess, but it wasn’t going to happen against the Thunder.

Oklahoma City, which boasts the highest scoring duo in the NBA in Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, made it happen with a quartet on Sunday night. Durant led the way with 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting while Westbrook enjoyed a double-double of 14 points and 11 assists. They were abetted by Jeff Green and James Harden, who each poured in 19 points. Overall the four young stars scored 77 points, equaling Cleveland’s team total. For the game Oklahoma City shot 53.2 percent and got pretty much whatever it wanted all night, inside or out, half-court or transition. The Thunder scored 56 points in the paint, 29 on fast breaks and dished out 25 assists in a brutally efficient offensive performance.

Cleveland, on the other hand, was its usual dismal self. The Cavaliers shot 33.8 percent from the field, committed 16 turnovers to 11 assists and failed to take advantage of 16 offensive rebounds. Only two players scored in double figures- Anthony Parker, who scored 12 and Daniel Gibson, who tallied 11. The only Cavalier who played well was Anderson Varejao, who grabbed a season-best 16 rebounds and added seven points in the losing effort.

The Thunder put the game away with a pair of monster runs in the first and third periods. The first, a 24-5 blast, turned an 8-7 Cleveland lead into a 31-13 Oklahoma City bulge late in the opening quarter. Much of the damage was done right around the rim as the Thunder got inside for easy lay-ups and dunks, including a James Harden facial of J.J. Hickson to climax the surge. Kevin Durant had all 14 of his first-quarter points during this run, which for all intents and purposes made the result academic. Cleveland never got closer than nine the rest of the way.

The second and more devastating run came late in the third quarter. After Cleveland crept within ten at 67-57 with 4:20 remaining in the period, the Thunder went off on a 21-1 tangent to take a thirty-point lead early in the fourth. The Cavaliers missed six consecutive shots and committed three turnovers during the meltdown, while Oklahoma City couldn’t miss, shooting 6-of-7. Even a desperation thirty-footer at the end of the third quarter by backup point guard Eric Maynor found nothing but the bottom of the bucket. The Thunder outscored the Cavaliers 61-30 in the first and third periods, and that was the ballgame right there.

Man… between the unsightly Browns loss in Buffalo, this abortion of a game and the weather, it’s hard to think of a drearier Sunday in Cleveland. And in the case of the Cavaliers (as well as the weather) it’s going to get worse- a lot worse- before it gets better. We haven’t hit rock-bottom yet with this basketball team, which at this point I would cheerfully trade to Seattle for their MLS franchise.  

Next: Wednesday night at 7:30, when the Road Trip from Hell continues in Miami against LeBron and the Heat.