Mavericks Break Losing Streak in Short-Handed Matchup, Upset Thunder 106-98

Both Dallas and OKC were missing MVP candidates on Friday night, but the Mavericks were able to get a much-needed victory.

Jan 17, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward P.J. Washington (25) celebrates after he makes a basket against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks welcomed the OKC Thunder to the American Airlines Center on Friday night, with both teams missing their MVP-caliber players. Luka Doncic has been out since Christmas Day with a calf strain, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was ruled out 30 minutes before tip-off due to a wrist injury he suffered on Thursday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Both teams were also without their starting centers, as Dereck Lively II missed his second consecutive game with a sprained ankle, and Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren were out.

Dallas started Kyrie Irving, Spencer Dinwiddie, Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington, and Daniel Gafford, while OKC went with Cason Wallace, Aaron Wiggins, Lu Dort, Jalen Williams, and Jaylin Williams.

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As it should, the game started with five points from the OKC killer P.J. Washington, then Kyrie Irving hit a deep three in transition and beat a defender off the dribble to give the Mavs a 10-0 start to the game. Aaron Wiggins finally got the Thunder on the board nearly four minutes into the game, which started a 9-0 run for OKC. Had Jalen Williams not started 2/6 from the free-throw line, they would've been able to take the lead before this.

The Thunder finally took a 14-13 lead on a wide-open three by Lu Dort near the top of the key. Dallas briefly took the lead again with a few quick buckets, including a monster slam by Olivier-Maxence Propser over Jalen Williams. But back-to-back threes by Branden Carlson and Kenrich Williams would give the Thunder a 26-22 lead heading into the second quarter.

Bench three-point shooting kept OKC afloat, as Ousmane Dieng hit one from deep to start the quarter, but Dallas responded with threes by Prosper, Kyrie Irving, and Quentin Grimes to tie the game again at 31. Emotions started to flare after that. Lu Dort had a flopping technical foul in the first quarter, then picked up an unsportsmanlike technical in the second after berating an official (not an ejection since a flopping technical isn't unsportsmanlike). A few minutes after that, Dort and P.J. Washington were scrapping for a loose ball, and Aaron Wiggins shoved Washington out of the picture. Wiggins would be given a technical for the shove while Washington was given one for "taunting" after he was just standing there and not saying anything.

But Dallas came out of that with a 7-2 run to take a five-point lead. Cason Wallace laid it in to briefly break that run, but the Mavericks kept it rolling with a 10-0 run, getting threes from Spencer Dinwiddie, P.J. Washington, and Naji Marshall to go up by 13 and force a timeout by OKC timeout. The Mavs kept the energy up and took a 63-43 lead into halftime. Dallas forced 13 OKC turnovers in the first half, the most for the Thunder all season.

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It wasn't a great start to the second half. Daniel Gafford picked up two offensive fouls to give him four fouls for the game, and the Thunder had a 12-0 run in the first four minutes of the second half to get themselves back in it. The Mavs were shooting 0/7 in the third quarter to this point. Some free throws by Maxi Kleber put a brief pause on the scoring draught for Dallas, but it wasn't until there were about five minutes to go in the quarter that Kyrie Irving finally made a basket.

But again, things got a little testy. P.J. Washington went to contest a layup by Jaylin Williams but ended up swiping him across the head, leading to a Flagrant-One foul, but it also ended with Dwight Powell going to the locker room, who slipped trying to close out on Williams. By the end of that flagrant, Dallas only had a three-point lead, and OKC would tie it at 69 a few possessions later. The lead would be exchanged and tied a few times, but an and-one by Spencer Dinwiddie gave the Mavs a 77-76 lead heading into the fourth, meaning the Thunder outscored them 33-14 in the third quarter.

Daniel Gafford was reinserted to start the fourth quarter and made an immediate impact, getting a bucket, block, and assist in the first 1:30. That helped Dallas go back up by seven in a game they once led by 20. But a few minutes later, it was tied once again at 83 following a fall-away shot off the glass by Jalen Williams. Gafford picked up his fifth foul soon after that, but a Klay Thompson three helped the Mavs have a one-point lead midway through the quarter.

The teams would swap three-point opportunities, whether from behind the arc or the old-fashioned way, as a Naji Marshall and-one gave the Mavs a four-point lead with a few minutes remaining. A few scoreless possessions went by before Spencer Dinwiddie put the Mavs up by three possessions with a tough three-pointer on the left wing.

Jalen Williams responded with a tough mid-range pull-up to bring OKC within five with a minute and a half to go. Dallas got a big stop a few possessions later, and Spencer Dinwiddie would essentially ice the game with a three from the left corner to put the Mavericks up by eight in the final minute. Kyrie Irving would hit a technical free throw and a layup, and Dallas would go on to win 106-98.

Kyrie Irving led the Mavericks with 25 points, five rebounds, and five assists. P.J. Washington, the OKC killer, had a big performance as well, with 16 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Spencer Dinwiddie (16 points) and Naji Marshall (14 points, 10 rebounds, three steals) were also in double-figures.

Jalen Williams led the Thunder in scoring with 19 points, followed closely by Lu Dort (18 points), Jaylin Williams (12 points, 10 rebounds), Aaron Wiggins (12 points), and Cason Wallace (10 points).

Dallas will be playing in Charlotte on Monday against the Hornets.

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