The Thunder Must Play Their Best Basketball To Succeed

With so many players injured, the Thunder saw on Wednesday what happens when not everyone is at their best.

Oct 28, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) laughs with Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) during the first quarter at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Wednesday night’s game was a wake-up call for OKC. 

The Oklahoma City Thunder suffered their first loss of the season on Wednesday night, as the Dallas Mavericks ran away with the game, winning 120-96. The game was within reach for OKC in the first half, as the Thunder were only down six at the half. However, Dallas began to pick it up in the second half and never looked back. 

Oklahoma City was at a disadvantage from the get-go with so many of its players out due to injury. The squad hoped that its skeleton crew of a roster could pick up the pace, but in the end it just wasn’t enough. 

Ajay Mitchell was one of the few bright spots for the Thunder team, as he had 29 points, four rebounds and two steals. Isaiah Hartenstein played his brand of basketball as well, acquiring a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds. This was about as far as the positives went for the Thunder, and on a night when many stars are out of commission, OKC is just going to have to play better basketball. 

For example, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t necessarily have a bad game, but his 21 points and 16.7% from three are not going to get the job done when he doesn’t have a lot of weapons around to help him. Jared McCain didn’t play to the level he was capable of either, as he had only 10 points and missed all six shots he took from beyond the arc. 

OKC didn’t see any help from its reserves either, as the bench only combined for 19 points on the night. The Thunder rookies saw some more valuable playing time, but struggled. Aday Mara had six points on 50% shooting, but turned the ball over three times. Josh Dix went scoreless from deep range, but Bennett Stirtz had eight points on 60% shooting. While it wasn’t a stellar night from these rookies, hopefully the playing time will allow them to be more comfortable in the future and allow them to find the confidence they need to start dominating. 

By no means was Wednesday night a good performance from the Thunder, but it isn’t something they can sulk over. There will be other situations this season where OKC is without a lot of its key players, but the others present will just have to step up. Wednesday’s game showcased that when the Thunder are against the wall, they will need everyone’s best game to even have a shot.