Danilo Gallinari Returns to Play Hero as Thunder beat the Mavericks 106-101

The Thunder got big nights from Dennis Schroder, Chris Paul, and Shai-Gilgeous Alexander to overcome a 12 point Maverick lead. But, it was Danilo Gallinari's late-game defense that put Oklahoma City in position to win.

It only fits that the Thunder close 2019 with yet another clutch performance in the fourth quarter. Trailing by as many as 12 against the Dallas Mavericks Oklahoma City pulled off a New Year's Eve comeback winning 106-101.

Danilo Gallinari returned after sitting out the last four games with ankle soreness to play the role of hero. Gallinari got switched up on  Luka Doncic with 24.1 seconds left to play an managed to steal the ball from the Mavericks MVP candidate as the Thunder were holing on to a 102-101 lead. The steal forced Seth Curry to foul Dennis Schroder sending the Oklahoma City Guard to the line where he would sink both free-throws.  Maxi Kleber and Doncic both had chances to tie the game on the ensuing possession and came up short. Schroder added two more free-throws to finish off his 20 point night and give the Thunder their 18th win of the season. 

Nothing like NYE in OKC and CP3 in the 4th quarter. pic.twitter.com/YIxDYkbnO7

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 1, 2020

Billy Donovan says that everybody had different points in time when the Thunder needed something positive guys were able to step up and make plays.  Donovan was concerned about how often his team put Doncic at the charity stripe ( he finished 8 of 12) and how many offensive rebounds they gave up to the Mavericks (17 total, Thunder did out rebound Dallas on the offensive end 18-17.) 

The Thunder is now entering the dog days of the NBA, and there is still a ton of uncertainty that hangs over the organization as the trade deadline looms. But, you wouldn't know that watching how these guys interact in the locker room.  During every media scrum, tonight, different players were doing their best to throw off the person off who was stuck answering questions. 

It's not just chemistry; the Thunder has its trust. For a team that, in reality, has only been together a matter of weeks, they've done an incredible job of building a strong bond. I asked Chris Paul what has it taken to get here. " We enjoy playing with each other."  Paul also says no one complains when they are subbed out and reiterated the Thunder root for each other.  

Chris Paul on the Danilo Gallinari finger wag after stealing the ball from Luka, said he missed playing with Gallo. “It’s a confidence that he plays with.” pic.twitter.com/hMtQoeA1bR

— Erik Horne (@ErikkHorne) January 1, 2020

The Thunder hit the road for the next four games, starting the Spurs on Thursday. Tipoff is at 7:30 on Fox Sports Oklahoma.