Thunder Move to NBA Cup Semifinal After Victory Over Dallas

OKC kept its NBA Cup hopes alive after an impressive second half performance against the Dallas Mavericks.

Dec 10, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) celebrates with Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) after scoring against the Dallas Mavericks during the second quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

In a win-or-go-home matchup against the 16-8 Dallas Mavericks, the Oklahoma City Thunder captured a 118-104 victory in the NBA Cup quarterfinal round.

This game was a tale of two halves. Scoring was scarce from both squads in the first half, but the Thunder managed to flip a switch in the second and separate. The Thunder needed a second-half explosion on offense and fortunately, they got just that.

OKC's star shined in the first half, but Dallas' did not. Star guard Luka Doncic scored only two points on 1-for-7 shooting in the opening period, which was not good enough to give Dallas a lead at the halftime break.

Fortunately for the Mavericks, they had others step up to pick up Doncic's slack. Guard Klay Thompson and forward Naji Marshall, who came off the bench, combined for an efficient 25 points in the first half, with Marshall scoring 14 and Thompson 11. Marshall finished as the Mavericks' leading scorer, with 19 points. Thompson also finished with 19 on the night, hitting five triples.

The Thunder only led 57-54 at halftime, with OKC and Dallas struggling to score. Both teams scored a combined 17 points in the final five minutes of the half after the Thunder led by eight at the first quarter's end. Despite a dry first half,

Just like any given night, star OKC guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had quite the night at the forefront of the Thunder offense. He finished with 39 points on 15-for-23 shooting, adding eight rebounds and five assists. Arguably, one of GIlgeous-Alexander's best performances of the season would eventually propel the Thunder to an important victory.

Despite only leading by three at halftime, the Thunder's stout defense would help create a sizeable lead. Dallas only scored four minutes in the first six minutes of the half and Doncic still struggled to put points on the board, scoring six. His overall performance, despite finishing with 16 points, was not on par for

After leading 90-73 at the end of the third quarter, Dallas was in search of a late surge to close the gap between scores. Doncic and Dallas' other star guard, Kyrie Irving, got to business right away. Irving nailed two straight triples with around nine minutes to play, getting the deficit to only 10 points. Gilgeous-Alexander responded with a triple of his own, with Doncic getting to the rim right after and a play after that, forward Olivier Maxence-Prosper hit a three of his own.

Second-year guard Cason Wallace became important down the stretch, hitting a triple and throwing down a lob from Alex Caruso on back-to-back possessions. This gave the Thunder a 107-92 lead with under six to play, an important run late in the game. Guard Jalen Williams followed suit with two straight mid-range buckets to heighten OKC's lead. A late three from guard Lu Dort would solidify Oklahoma City's victory.

The Thunder move on to the semifinal of the NBA Cup and will face the winner of the two-seeded Houston Rockets and three-seeded Golden State Warriors. That game will be played on Saturday, Dec. 14. Its next regular season matchup will be played at 6:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 19 against the Orlando Magic on the road.

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