Gilgeous-Alexander Scores 42 as Dallas Mavericks Defeat Thunder, 121-114
To end an exhausting five-game road trip, the Oklahoma City Thunder made their way to Dallas on Wednesday night to take on Luka Doncic and the Mavericks.
For the Mavericks, Luka Doncic returned to the starting lineup after being ruled out versus the Chicago Bulls on Saturday with a strained quadriceps. For the Thunder, Head Coach Mark Daigneault opted to give rookie wing Jalen Williams another start alongside Aleksej Pokusevski to compliment the Thunder’s main trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort, and Josh Giddey.
The Mavericks and Doncic came out in the first half firing, eventually building a 12-0 lead, holding the Thunder scoreless through the first three minutes of action. But the Thunder were able to get things going offensively after both Williams and Giddey each found a way to score a pair of buckets to ignite a Thunder run.
In the midst of Dallas missing eight consecutive triples, Gilgeous-Alexander got his game going in the first frame, scoring 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting and making 4-of-4 of his free throws. Isaiah Joe once again found a way to quickly contribute off the bench, almost immediately draining two 3-pointers to help the Thunder to a 28-23 lead.
The Mavericks were able to tie things up 32-32 early in the second frame by stringing together three consecutive defensive stops while Frank Ntilikina and Maxi Kleber were able to convert a pair of shots from beyond the arc. Oklahoma City’s Tre Mann and Jalen Williams’ 10 combined points kept the Thunder’s offense from stalling out, bringing the score to 42-42 at the four-minute mark.
Joe was able to come off the bench yet again to drain his third 3-pointer of the night for the Thunder but Tim Hardaway, Jr.’s two 3-pointers and Doncic’s foul-drawing ability would give the Mavericks a 54-48 lead heading down the final stretch of the first half.
The Mavericks were able to push their lead back to 16 behind more Doncic free throws and some hot shooting behind the 3-point line from Reggie Bullock and Hardway, Jr. But an urgent floater by Jalen Williams cut that lead to 14 as the Thunder headed into halftime down 52-66.
Doncic led the Mavericks in the first half with 24 points on 7-of-13 shooting while Gilgeous-Alexander scored 15 on 4-of-7 shooting.
The second half started with another 3-pointer from Tim Hardaway, Jr. followed by Gilgeous-Alexander draining a smooth mid-range jumper and then earning an and-one and an extra free throw thanks to Doncic being called for a technical foul for lambasting officials.
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Jalen Williams then provided six consecutive points for the Thunder to cut the Mavericks’ lead to nine but the Mavericks’ momentum couldn’t be stopped as they continued to knock down shots from all over the court, including multiple triples coming from Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Doncic.
Four makes on four trips to the free throw line by Luguentz Dort cut the Mavericks' lead to 10 but Doncic quickly responded by earning another and-one to extend Dallas’ lead once again with just a few minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s offense came alive again late in the third quarter as he poured in 11 straight points for his team to cap off a 38-point Thunder quarter. This shrunk Dallas’ momentum and cut their lead to just seven points heading into the fourth frame, bringing the score to 90-97.
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl showed up early in the fourth quarter, showing patience and finding an easy layup underneath the rim. He then earned a trip to the free throw line to earn the Thunder’s first four points but had to be helped off the floor after apparently tweaking his ankle on his way down from trying to grab a rebound.
But the Mavericks’ offense kept on rolling as Dinwiddie’s playmaking and a 3-pointer by Kleber exploited the Thunder’s defense to once again push Dallas’ lead to 12 a quarter way through the final frame.
Another mid-range jumper by Gilgeous-Alexander and a side-step 3-pointer from Joe helped the Thunder score five quick points. And after a stellar defensive possession that saw Jalen Williams lock up Christian Wood, a deep desperation 3-pointer from Dinwiddie to beat the shot clock banked off the glass to push the Maverick’s lead back to 10 just before the six-minute mark.
But in the midst of the Thunder’s comeback attempt, too many mistakes were made including Jalen Williams getting called for a travel and Dort getting called for an offensive foul that left Hardaway Jr. holding his face on the floor. The miscues would prove to be too much to overcome and Dallas would walk away with the victory, 121-114, led by Doncic’s 38-point, 11-rebound, 8-assist performance.
With their five-game road stint now behind them, the Thunder will travel back to Oklahoma City in an attempt to extinguish the Miami Heat on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. CST.
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