The Dallas Mavericks traveled to downtown Oklahoma City to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder just hours after wrapping up a home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Mavericks held on for a 121-115 win over the Thunder at the Paycom Center on Thursday night. Dallas improved to 24-21 and snapped a two-game losing skid, while Oklahoma City fell to 36-8 and watched its two-game winning streak end.
Spencer Dinwiddie led the Mavericks with 28 points, two rebounds, and three assists. Kyrie Irving followed up with 24 points, four rebounds, and four assists. PJ Washington Jr. added 22 points, 19 rebounds, and three assists. Olivier-Maxence Prosper had 14 points and three rebounds. Daniel Gafford scored 12 points, five rebounds, and two assists. Quentin Grimes recorded nine points, one rebound, and three assists.
Dallas Mavericks at Oklahoma City Thunder Recap
The Dallas Mavericks vs. Oklahoma City game was short-handed on both sides of the court, but action-packed nonetheless. The Mavericks ruled out Luka Doncic with a left calf strain, Jaden Hardy with a right ankle sprain, Dwight Powell with a right hip strain, Dereck Lively II with a right ankle stress fracture, Klay Thompson with a left ankle sprain, Naji Marshall with an illness, and Dante Exum with right wrist surgery.
The Thunder ruled out Isaiah Hartenstein with a left calf strain, Chet Holmgren with a right iliac wing fracture, Ajay Mitchell with a right great toe sprain, Nikola Topic with a partially torn ACL, and Isaiah Joe with an illness. The Thunder took on the Mavericks again but inside the Paycom Center this time. Previously, these two teams squared off on Friday in a wild game that saw five technical fouls.
The Mavericks’ starting lineup featured Kyrie Irving, Kessler Edwards, Spencer Dinwiddie, PJ Washington Jr., and Daniel Gafford. Edwards was in the team’s starting lineup for the first time this season, per Mavericks radio play-by-play broadcaster Chuck Cooperstein. Edwards has been averaging 3.6 points per game in 14 appearances. Moreover, Dereck Lively II will be sidelined for at least four weeks with a right ankle stress fracture.
The first quarter was a high-scoring affair between the Thunder and Mavericks. Jaylin Williams’ three-pointer started the three-point party, while Spencer Dinwiddie’s catch-and-shoot play was a highlight-reel moment. The Thunder led 34-33 at the end of the first. The Thunder opened the second-quarter scoring with a 6-2 run, as Williams’ offensive dominance continued. The Thunder held on for a 62-60 lead at halftime.
The Mavericks picked up the pace in the third quarter, just minutes after a Thunder fan, Jake Amy, made a half-court shot and won $20,000 at halftime. The Mavericks’ duo PJ Washington Jr. and Daniel Gafford led to a notable three-pointer. The Mavericks led 91-83 through three quarters. The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth affair, but the Thunder’s efforts fell short, and the Mavericks held on for a 121-115 in regulation.
Mavericks-Thunder Highlights
The Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder game featured multiple highlights, such as the Sporting News’ recent report that the Mavericks have been predicted to land Chicago Bulls Forward Patrick Williams. According to the Chicago Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley, Williams was made available by the Bulls in trade talks after signing a five-year, $90 million contract in the offseason.
For the Mavericks, Irving made NBA history in Wednesday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Irving had six points and one assist while shooting 2-4 from the field in his first eight minutes of playing time. Irving’s basket at 7:17 of the first quarter helped him eclipse 18,000 career points, becoming the eighth player in NBA history to reach the milestone.
And, for the Thunder, the Thunder’s the best team in the Western Conference, and its game against the Phoenix Suns has been flexed to national television. The NBA hopes to continue to showcase the best team in the West. The Thunder vs. Suns game will be broadcast on February 5, 2025, at 8:30 p.m. Central on ESPN instead of the regional television networks.
Final Thoughts
The Minnesota Timberwolves edged the Dallas Mavericks 115-114 at the American Airlines Center on Wednesday night. Wednesday night’s game showed that both teams needed healing in different ways. The Mavericks still had at least another week before finding out when Luka Doncic would return from his left calf strain injury, while the Timberwolves’ ability to develop chemistry has been lagging.
Jaden McDaniels led with 27 points in the Timberwolves’ edge of the Mavericks 115-114. The Timberwolves’ other scorers were as follows: Anthony Edwards scored 21 points, five rebounds, and seven assists, Mike Conley had 18 points and eight assists, Julius Randle — a Plano, Texas, native — recorded 16 points, six rebounds, and three steals, Rudy Gobert tallied 14 points, and Naz Reid added 12 points.
The Mavericks will return to downtown Dallas to open a two-game homestand, starting with the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. Central. The Celtics previously played a road game against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Crypto.com Arena on Thursday night. Crypto.com, a cryptocurrency trading platform, also sponsors Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid.
