BATTLE OF THE BEST DECIDED BY 'EFFORT'

Allen hails his partnership with Mobley and Cavs' approach in close win over Thunder

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In a historic showdown seen as a possible National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals preview, Jarrett Allen scored 25 points to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 129-122 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Jan. 8.

The NBA-leading Cavaliers improved to 32-4 with their 11th consecutive victory, while the visiting Western Conference leaders Thunder fell to 30-6 with their franchise-record 15-game winning streak snapped.

"It felt like a battle all night. We were scoring. They were scoring, getting stops on both sides. We knew at the end of the night, it was coming down to which team had more effort," Allen said.

On a night when Cavs star Donovan Mitchell scored only 11 points on three-of-16 shooting, Cleveland's big men took command.

Allen topped Cleveland scorers, as he added 11 rebounds, six assists and three steals while working with Evan Mobley, who had 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. They became the first Cavaliers teammates to each register 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a game since LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in 2017.

"We were willing to try it," Allen added of the two-man inside tandem at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.