Thunder Get Thrashed by Shorthanded Mavericks
Fresh off of a 21-point loss, the Oklahoma City Thunder fell short of victory Sunday evening – failing to the Dallas Mavericks 103-84.
With the result, the Oklahoma City Thunder now sit at 8-17 on the year.
Oklahoma City lingered one point behind Dallas through one frame, down 28-27; however, a 9-0 second-quarter opener from the Mavericks pushed the Thunder down double digits. Despite striking within single digits the majority of play – a feeble 5-of-19 shooting effort in the fourth held them short.
Despite the absence of Luka Doncic, Dallas transfigured their play accordingly, cashing in on 42.2 percent of shots while compensating for a 27.3 percent three-point clip with an 18-of-23 showing at the stripe.
In a starting role, Jalen Brunson stepped up for the Mavericks placing 18 points and 9 rebounds on the evening, providing a much needed third-quarter spark which saw the guard post 10-consecutive points.
With a Mavericks frontcourt depleted of Willie Cauley-Stein, former Thunder center Moses Brown made the most of the situation, churning out 15 points and 6 rebounds across 20 minutes. Brown’s 2020-21 campaign saw the big utilize his athletic ability within a 7-foot-2 frame to terrorize defenders with a plethora of offensive rebounds and interior looks – he did just that Sunday.
Maxi Kleber and Kristaps Porzingis also cashed in on the frontcourt frenzy, both etching double figures with 16 and 13 points, respectively.
In all, the Mavericks outscored the Thunder 50-20 in the paint.
Oklahoma City established themselves at the perimeter with a 6-of-12 three-point outing through the first quarter, but a 6-of-25 showing in the ensuing three quarters saw the group wander inside.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander fought through a mightily congested lane Sunday en route to 18 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists across 33 minutes. Gilgeous-Alexander looked to have unlocked the perimeter early as the 23-year-old generated multiple open jumpers through one frame – but he never quite found the basket, shooting 1-of-5 from downtown.
Lu Dort took a premature trip to the locker room, tweaking his ankle in the aftermath of a screen. In his two quarters of play, Dort shuffled out 10 points (3-of-8 FG) and 2 rebounds.
Frontcourt members Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Darius Bazley ended their stints with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Robinson-Earl and Bazley carved out perimeter-centric roles on Sunday, both logging 3-of-6 contributions from distance.
Next up, the Oklahoma City Thunder (8-17) will continue their homestand versus the New Orleans Pelicans (8-20.)
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