The Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points in the first 3 quarters en route to a victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in a matchup between the league’s two best teams. Dave DuFour and Zena Keita breakdown the Thunder win, Shai’s MVP performance, and discuss the new Unrivaled basketball league and the potential ramifications for the NBA. Then, the Athletic’s Joe Vardon joins the show from Oklahoma City with the Cavs’ perspective on their loss, why they struggle against perimeter size, and who they are targeting on the trade market.

Host: Dave DuFour

With: Zena Keita & Joe Vardon

Executive Producer: Andrew Schlecht

Audio Producer: Grayson Moody

Submit your questions to The Athletic NBA Daily mailbag: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5939460/2024/11/25/nba-podcast-mailbag-athletic-daily/

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